CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Several different religious, ethnic, political, and human rights groups protested on New Year's Eve through downtown Chicago, where they resolved to continue their support for a Gaza cease-fire in 2024.
About 300 people rallied in support of humane treatment for Palestinians in Gaza, before marching north on Michigan Ave from Ida B Wells, while also calling for a ceasefire.
"I'm not here despite being Jewish; I'm here because I'm Jewish," said one protester. "My religion is what taught me that we are all 'b'tzelem elohim': We are all made in God's image."
Chris Fogerty, an 88-year-old U.S. Army veteran who attended Sunday's march with Friends of Irish Freedom, accused the U.S. government of "funding and munitioning a genocide."
"We used to be the beacon of morality to the world, and now we have become a pariah nation by the doings of our government," he said.
Over the weekend, South Africa sponsored a United Nations case in which the country accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
In a statement, Israel's Foreign Ministry called South Africa's filing a "despicable and contemptuous exploitation of the court" and said it lacked a "factual and a legal basis." Israeli officials accused South Africa of cooperating with Hamas.
Still, South Africa's move followed what Husam Marajda, who co-chairs the Chicago-based U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), described as a change in how the international community views the ongoing war, which was triggered when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel has said approximately 1,200 people were killed in that attack, and the Wall Street Journal reported that over 100 people remain hostages of Hamas.
"We see the narratives shift now," he told WBBM at pro-Palestinian demonstration that took place earlier in December. "Even the western European countries, even the United States are starting to shift."
A pro-Palestinian protest drew hundreds on New Year's Eve to downtown Chicago, where they pledged to bring their support for a cease-fire and for the humane treatment of Palestinians in Gaza into the New Year.Brandon Ison
Murajda was referring, in part, to President Joe Biden's remarks on Dec. 12, 2023, in which the president warned that Israel was losing international support over what Biden described as the "indiscriminate bombing of Gaza." Gaza's Health Ministry estimates that nearly 22,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war.
Murajda's organization said Sunday that it has organized multiple protests in Chicago heading into 2024, and over the New Year weekend, the USPCN organized actions that briefly shut down Interstate 90 and Interstate 94.
Also over the weekend, Chicago hosted one of the largest Muslim conventions in North America, something that USPCN spokesperson Muhammad Sankari said left him feeling a sense of unity and support for their cause. Sankari said that, heading in 2024, he's juggling feelings of both optimism and pessimism.
"On one side, we have the United States government, that is pushing their support of genocide, and on the other side, we have a multi-national, multi-faith, multi-ethnic … coalition of people who believe in justice and want to see an end to genocide," he said. "I think history will be on our side."
Pro-Palestinian protesters march down Michigan Avenue on New Year's Eve.Brandon Ison
In Jerusalem, Israeli military officials confirmed that it was pulling thousands of troops out of the Gaza Strip on Monday, a step that the Associated Press reported "could clear the way for a new, long-term phase of lower-intensity fighting against the Hamas militant group."
On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza will continue for "many more months."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has repeatedly urged Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians, is expected in the region next week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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