Protests in Gaza block Golden Gate Bridge and Oakland highway

Protesters against the American response to the Israel-Hamas war closed two freeways in the Bay Area during Monday morning rush hour, including blocking traffic on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Southbound U.S. Highway 101 across the bridge and northbound Interstate 880 near Oakland were blocked as of 7:30 a.m. PDT Monday, the California Highway Patrol said. Protesters carried signs reading “Stop Arming Israel” and “The Bay Area Does Not Demand Murder for Profit,” in reference to American military support for Israel.

The Oakland protest was part of the “A15 Economic Blockade for a Free Palestine,” a national movement that also blocked streets in downtown Philadelphia and a nearby interstate Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Monday.

“By disrupting traffic along this route, we seek to halt the movement of millions of dollars in daily flow of capital, much of which, to and from the Port of Oakland, Oakland Airport and nearby rail yards, directly and indirectly supports the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” organizers wrote on Saturday in a Facebook post.

Protesters have seen Tax Day as the impetus for the demonstrations, as public opinion of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza falls among Americans. About a third of Americans and a majority of Democrats said Israel had “gone too far” in its military campaign in Gaza, according to a poll last week.

The Israeli campaign has leveled much of Gaza with consistent airstrikes since October, when a Hamas attack killed more than 1,100 Israelis. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since then, with aid organizations and the United Nations warning that famine is beginning to set in among the estimated 2 million civilians in Gaza.

The Biden administration supported Israel in the conflict but resisted its strong military campaign. President Biden has repeatedly warned the Israeli government against an invasion of Rafah, the last remaining settlement in southern Gaza that has not been attacked by the Israeli military.

Support for military aid to Israel remains bipartisan in Congress – especially after an Iranian attack on the country on Saturday – although a growing number of Democrats have called for conditions on the aid to ensure that Israel commits to supporting humanitarian aid and limits civilian casualties.