Security Measures Increase As Pro-Palestine Protesters Plan to Encircle White House

Activists from groups such as CODEPINK and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) are calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza and US support for the regime's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

These groups announced on Friday that they would gather today to mark eight months of Israeli war in Gaza.

"In preparation for the events this weekend in Washington, DC, that have the potential for large crowds to gather, additional public safety measures have been put in place near the White House complex," a US Secret Service spokesperson said, according to Reuters.

The protest on Saturday marks eight months since Israel launched a war on the Gaza Strip.

Organizers of the demonstration say protesters will wear red to symbolize a red line, highlighting US President Joe Biden's failure to uphold his warning to Israeli officials against invading Rafah city in southern Gaza.

Biden, currently in France, has faced interruptions from pro-Palestinian protesters during various events. He has also seen a significant loss of voter support in the Democratic primaries, attributed to his handling of the conflict.

On May 8, Biden stated, "I made it clear that if they (Israelis) go into Rafah—they haven’t gone into Rafah yet—if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities."

Despite this, Biden's administration did not follow through on this promise as Israeli forces attacked Rafah by air, land, and sea.

Numerous pro-Palestinian protests have been held across the country and internationally over Washington's role in the war.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 last year, utilizing US-made weapons and munitions supplied by the US government.

To date, the Israeli war has resulted in at least 36,731 deaths, predominantly women and children, and has injured 83,530 others in Gaza.