Israel-Palestine war: Activists block Boeing facility supplying bombs to Israel
More than 75 young activists obstructed every entry point to Building 598 at Boeing in Missouri on Monday, where production takes place for the bombs and ammunition used by Israel in Gaza.
The manufacturing plant is responsible for supplying almost 1,000 bombs, which include Small Diameter Bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munitions to Israel.
Boeing expedited the shipment of 1,000 precision-guided munitions to Israel as the nation intensified its strikes on Gaza after 7 October, Bloomberg reported on 10 October.
The 250-pound Small Diameter Bombs, which are part of a deal signed in 2021, were transported to Israel aboard Israeli Air Force planes from a US Air Force base, Bloomberg reported.
"We are joining millions of people across the US and around the world in demanding an end to Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and its decades-long occupation of Palestine," said Ellie Tang, an organiser with the anti-war youth organisation Dissenters.
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"We urge Congress and Biden to hear the calls of millions of us living in this country and push for a ceasefire. Until Congress blocks the bombs, we will."
The Israeli war on Gaza has killed at least 10,000 Palestinians, including at least 4,000 children, since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October, which killed 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians.
The blockage was organised by Dissenters, St Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee, Black Men Build St Louis, the Boeing Arms Genocide Campaign, and Resist St Louis.
The activists are calling for two immediate actions: firstly, for Congress and Biden to demand an immediate halt to hostilities, and secondly, to halt arms sales to Israel.
They are also urging communities to persistently partake in direct action aimed at Boeing and other firms benefiting from Israel's occupation.
"We want Congress to know what it looks like to take brave action. And that we will not wait for their timelines to actualise demands of ceasefire," said Su Mac, an artist and organiser.
"As taxpayers, we all have blood on our hands. Congress must act before they are etched into history books as complicit in a genocide the country called on them to stop. The whole world is watching."
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