Israel-Palestine Conflict Spills Into Westwood Streets

Westwood traffic slowed to a crawl Sunday afternoon as more than a thousand pro-Palestine demonstrators crowded the four corners of the Wilshire/Veteran intersection. The demonstrators rallied against U.S.’s foreign aid to Israel as they continue to illegally occupy Palestinian land.

The demonstrators initially chanted and cheered on the sidewalk as traffic-jammed drivers honked in support, waved Israel or Palestine flags, booed, and even flipped off protesters. Then they marched for about a mile to the Consulate General of Israel on the intersections of Wilshire and Granville.

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This demonstration follows one held last Saturday which occurred in the same place. That rally reinforced Israel’s actions as a mean of self-defense. It followed another protest two weeks prior in front of the Federal Building, denouncing the U.S. foreign aid and a July 8th Israeli operation that has caused more than 445 Palestinian casualties and about 15 Israeli soldiers and citizens.

Sunday’s demonstration included various Palestinian-support and Palestinian-American organizations and groups, as well as UCLA professors and students.

The demonstrators gathered at the Wilshire Federal Building at 3 p.m. and began to march down Wilshire Blvd at 5 p.m., temporarily shutting down the busy street with Palestinian flags and calls for peace. Their destination was the Consulate General of Israel, about a mile away on Wilshire Blvd. and Granville. After, at about 5:50pm the marchers began to move back towards the Federal Building.

A small counter-demonstration of about a dozen supporters of Israel and its actions were present at one of the corners of the Wilshire and Veteran intersection.

The Israel-Palestine conflict has been a hot button issue here on the UCLA campus, as USAC (Undergraduate Student Association Council) voted down the resolution “to Divest from Companies that Violate Palestinian Human Rights” with a 5-7-0 vote in a secret ballot.

In more recent campus news, future UC Student Regent designate and UCLA student Avi Oved has been accused of a possible conflict of interest after leaked e-mails made headlines on the Daily Bruin and the Daily Cal. A group-me text named “BruinsAgainstBDS” also came to light, where Oved asks “Should I sit on the investment committee lol (aka where divestment would come to… slash never really because it doesn’t stand a chance” and 2014-2015 USAC Internal Vice President Avinoam Baral responding “Yes.”

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