Thirty-five Ann Arbor residents held a protest in front of the Federal Building on Monday, protesting the most recent Israeli attack and killing of activists carrying food and medicine to the starving Gazans.

Participants in the protest held signs such as “Zionism is Racism,” Boycott Israel,” “Boycott Israeli Apartheid,” Stop U.S. Funding of Israel,” and “Save Gaza.” The group plans to go to the Ann Arbor City Council meeting on Monday June 7th at 7:00 p.m. (second floor of the City Hall on 5th and Ann Street) to demand total boycott of Israel.

Israel has been called a war criminal by many international human rights organizations for its actions in Gaza (December 2008 to January 2009), its use of chemical warfare (White Phosphorous) on unarmed civilians and its total destruction of Palestinian infrastructure.

Movements to boycott Israel are growing worldwide, and several U.S. campuses have been passing resolutions to cut ties with the apartheid state. Hampshire College divested from Israel in February 2009. This year alone, U-M Dearborn Student Government and University of California at Berkeley’s student government voted to divest from the Israeli military.

It is U-M Ann Arbor”s turn to follow those examples and boycott Israel at once.

Mozhgan Savabieasfahani
Ann Arbor