by Julia Pierrepont III

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Roughly a thousand pro-Palestinian protestors packed Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, their chants echoing through the streets as the first anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023 approaches, a date marking the start of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The demonstration, one of many across the United States, called for a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"We're here to bring awareness to the dire plight of Palestinians in areas occupied illegally by Israel," one protestor called Marta, who asked not to use her last name, told Xinhua. "The United States (should) stop using our tax dollars to assist Israel in conducting genocide against Palestinians in their own homeland."

Marta was among the many beating drums and plastic tubs, chanting, "Free, free, free Palestine!"

"We need to hold Israel accountable for war crimes," another protestor said angrily. "It's genocide, pure and simple."

"Resistance is justified when people are occupied," chanted Betha, a young protestor wearing a hijab.

Others waved handmade banners and hoisted dozens of Palestinian flags, while vibrant signs filled the crowd with messages reading "End the occupation now," "Stop U.S. aid to Apartheid Israel," and "Let Gaza Live!"

The recent series of pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses started in 2023 and spread rapidly across the United States and Europe over the past year, leading to thousands of arrests in the country and some temporary university closures, including Columbia University in New York City.

Recent polls indicated a shift in U.S. public opinion, with increasing support for Palestinian rights and criticism of Israeli policies. A May 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 53 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Independents now sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis.

Protestors at the scene also cited the need to immediately halt Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, to protect Palestinians from Israeli military actions, settler violence, home displacements, and restrictions on movement, and to provide them with access to clean water, food, and medical care.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and roughly 250 were taken hostage.

"How'd you feel if some other evicted you from your house because of your race or religion, so one of their guys could move in?" asked Steve K., a university student. Enditem

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