Nancy Pelosi suggests Russia links to some Gaza ceasefire protests ...
January 29, 2024 — 5.23am
Washington: Former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she thinks some protests in the United States demanding a ceasefire in Gaza could be linked to Russia, and that the FBI should conduct a probe into their funding.
Her comments were dismissed as “unsubstantiated smears” by some rights advocates, who said they amounted to dehumanisation of the Palestinian people.
Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.Credit: Getty
Pelosi, who made the remarks in a CNN interview, provided no evidence for her claims. She was asked whether opposition to US President Joe Biden’s policy in the war in Gaza could hurt the Democrat in November’s presidential election.
“For them to call for a ceasefire is Mr. Putin’s message, Mr. Putin’s message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] would like to see,” Pelosi told CNN.
“I think some of these protesters are spontaneous, and organic, and sincere. Some I think are connected to Russia,” she said. “Some financing should be investigated and I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.”
Pelosi’s comments marked the first time a prominent US lawmaker has accused Russia’s leader of backing US protesters calling for a ceasefire.
A man visiting from New Jersey holds up a poster in support of bringing Israeli hostages home behind a protest where a large banner that says “Biden: Ceasefire Now” along with fake white body bags.Credit: AP
The Russian embassy in Washington was not immediately available to comment.
Protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza have recently occurred across the US, including near airports and bridges in New York City and Los Angeles, vigils outside the White House and marches in Washington. Demonstrators have also interrupted Biden speeches and events.
The protests have been organised by a range of human rights, Jewish and anti-war activist groups.
“It is unconscionable that an individual with such influence in this nation would spread unsubstantiated smears targeting those who seek an end to the slaughter of civilians in Gaza and a just resolution to that conflict. Her comments once again show the negative impact of decades of dehumanisation of the Palestinian people,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
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Democratic US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Sunday that opposition by many to the war in Gaza was based on “the indiscriminate loss of life” in the region.
“I think what we are seeing right now throughout the country is that young people are appalled at the violence and the indiscriminate loss of life,” she told NBC News when asked about the protests against Biden’s policy in Gaza.
The UN has demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, but Washington has vetoed resolutions for such calls in the United Nations Security Council, saying it would let Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which governs Gaza, regroup and rebuild.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University in New York.Credit: AP
Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel killed 1200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, more than 1 per cent of the 2.3 million population there, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Many are feared buried in rubble.
Israeli bombardments have flattened much of the densely populated enclave, leaving most Gazans homeless, sparking food shortages that threaten famine and incapacitating most hospitals.
Reuters
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