Activists, critical of Israel's war against Hamas, gathered outside the Ohio Statehouse on Friday, demanding lawmakers revoke their support of Israel, on the same day the U.N. declared a famine in Gaza.
The message of the pro-Palestinian activists remains the same almost two years after Israel began attacks on the Gaza Strip. They want Ohio lawmakers and the U.S. government to stop supporting Israel and condemn Israel's actions.
Israel has killed more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, in Gaza with the support of the U.S. since the country was attacked on Oct. 7, 2023 by the terrorist group Hamas. Hamas killed about 1,200 Israelis that day and kidnapped hundreds of others.
State Rep. Munira Abdullahi (D-Columbus) and the other speakers called out Israel for starving Palestinians and bombing civilians.
"We are told this is defense, but tell me what defense is it to starve a newborn? What defense is it to bomb a hospital? What defense is it deny a people the right to live in dignity and freedom? This is not defense, it is genocide," Abdullahi said.
Abdullahi announced she would be introducing a bill that would repeal an Ohio law that prevents state agencies and universities from boycotting or divesting from spending taxpayer dollars on entities associated with Israel. The law also bars public agencies and universities from working with businesses that boycott Israel.
The bill likely has little chance of passing under a strong Republican majority in both the Ohio House and Senate.
"They can boycott American companies, but they can't boycott or divest from Israel. That's insane, and that's un-American," Abdullahi said.
Ohio House Republican and Democratic leadership did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Abdullahi was joined by about 50 other people in front of the statehouse.
Joshua Engel, a U.S. Air Force veteran was one of the other speakers at the press conference. Engel said he used to believe racist tropes about people in the Middle East and supported Israel. He said he now believes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians.
"Superheroes protect kids. They don't send bombs to the people that are murdering children. The United States needs to step up to its own values and not the values of charlatans, greed, power. When are we going to actually stand up as Americans and say, enough," Engel said.
Mazen Rasoul, a Palestinian-American lawyer, called out the United States' support of Israel as the leading authority on food insecurity under the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, caused by Israel's actions.
"Infants die in powerless incubators. Mothers can't feed their children. This is not collateral damage. This is deliberate calculated and this is the policy of the Zionist regime," Rasoul said.
NPR reports the images of skeletal children in Gaza have already caused widespread protests around the world against the Israeli offensive there and prompted some of Israel's most important Western allies to say they will recognize a Palestinian state.
The report says at least 132,000 children under the age of 5 could die from acute malnutrition in the coming months.
Israel is also threatening to escalate its war against Hamas and conduct a takeover of what is left of Gaza City.
"And all this while our U. S. Government stays completely silent. Members of Congress, stay completely silent. Not even standing up for their own U.S. Citizens who they're elected to represent," Rasoul said. "Let's be clear, this is not a war between equals, this not defense, this is occupation, it's apartheid, it's settler colonialism, and it's genocide."
