WASHINGTON 25 Mar (ANA) - Dozens of protesters rallied outside the White House against AIPAC as the lobbyist group kicked off its annual conference on Sunday amid divisions among US politicians over support for Israel. 

 

Pro-Palestinian groups, including Al-Awda, Students for Justice in Palestine, Answer Coalition, Code Pink and Neturei Karta, gave speeches condemning the Israeli occupation in Palestine and what they called AIPAC's overreach in Washington.

 

Others said they were there to show solidarity with Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota congresswoman who came under attack over the past few weeks for what has been labelled as anti-Semitic rhetoric and questioning AIPAC's influence on US politicians.

 

Several protesters held up placards in support of Omar, while a speaker from Al-Awda, who organised the protest and a march to the convention center in the afternoon, called for the backing of Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the first two Muslim women in US history to win seats in the House.

 

Demonstrator Christie Brink joined the protest from Arizona. As she does every year, she planned to visit a number of politicians on Monday to "lobby against AIPAC".

 

"My [fliers] might end up in the trash, or end up with someone at the desk who might become president one day," she said. "Ilhan Omar might have gotten blowback, but ... she started a conversation on AIPAC and lobbying in the country." 

 

Rajaa, who withheld her last name fearing Israeli repercussions when visiting family in Palestine, travelled from Philadelphia to Washington, DC to take part in the protest. She said that while some politicians have decided not to attend AIPAC this year, more work was still needed to strip AIPAC of its influence.(ANA)

FA/ANA/25 March 2019-------