As the 40-day fast for Gaza by Veterans and Allies ended Monday, the organizers escalated their activities with a “die-in” at the Israeli mission to the U.N. There were 28 people arrested in mass protests.
Also Monday, Mike Ferner, a retired Navy corpsman and past director of Veterans For Peace threw blood at the U.S. mission to the U.N. and was also arrested. He and others held a vigil there during their fast for the past 40 days. See video clip of actions and brief interview with Ferner, who was just released from jail this morning. Monday was Aaron Bushnell’s birthday, the U.S. soldier who immolated himself at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. last year.
Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House on July 7. Israel just bombed a birthday party and is blocking baby formula. AntiWar.com is reporting: “Israeli Military Admits To Killing Palestinian Civilians Near Aid Sites in Gaza,” “At Least 95 Killed in Gaza as Israeli Forces Bomb Cafe, Shoot Aid Seekers,” “U.S. Approves $510 Million Arms Deal for Israel” and “Trump Says U.S. ‘Not Going To Stand’ for Netanyahu’s Continued Corruption Trial.”
MIKE FERNER, [email protected]
Ferner is a past national director of Veterans For Peace. He fasted for 21 days before he was taken to the hospital for six days. As he threw blood on the U.S. mission, he said: “Have some blood! You like shedding it all over the world so much? There you go!” The Toledo Blade recently reported: “Mike Ferner, Toledo activist-politician, awarded Callaway award for civic courage.” See from Veterans For Peace: “Veterans Demand Termination of Weapons to Israel.”
PHIL TOTTENHAM, [email protected]
Tottenham is a Marine Corps veteran and Veterans For Peace member. He and others held vigil as they fasted in front of the U.S. mission, limiting themselves to 250 calories, the average of what Palestinians in Gaza have. He and Meltzer fasted for 40 days and were among those arrested yesterday during the “die-in” in front of the Israeli mission to the U.N. See photo of Tottenham.
JOY METZLER, [email protected]
From Cocoa, Florida, Metzler is a member of Veterans For Peace and co-founder of Servicemembers For Ceasefire. A USAF Academy 2023 graduate, she left the Air Force and became a conscientious objector, citing the U.S. government’s “aggression in the Middle East and the continued ethnic cleansing in all of Palestine and the ongoing mass massacre of Palestinians in Gaza.”
She said today: “The devastation in Gaza has surpassed what the English language can fully describe. We had 16 pages with the names of Palestinian children killed by Israel who never reached their first birthday. We got through reading 2.5 pages during the action. We must do more to stop the genocidal Israeli/U.S. war machine.” See photo of Metzler.
See more pictures and videos of the actions yesterday here, here and here.