education that he cannot have any of it. then he is told that he lives in a democracy. what can that mean to him? he cannot experience the freedom of others nor should we expect him to feel grateful because he is allowed to build settlements in order to feed his family. and thus the palestinian seems helpless to change his condition and to make a better life for his children. he is denied the most fundamental of human needs, the need for an identity, for recognition as a citizen as a man there in gaza violence is born and bread and n tel aviv the palestinian with barely anything to define himself and yet he continues to fight. several ask why does he continue to fight? because the palestinian is not fighting because he is poor or because he is hungry or because he has hope for his children. he is fighting to assert his worth and digget as a human being and to tell his

oppressors that though they may hate or scorn his defense they must still respect his power and his willingness to never give up. let obama know you let obama know his support for israeli forces will not present change. change will come. new ammunitionless further the israeli campaign but change will come. that change will occur when israeli government acknowledges the palestinian of people not as aliens in their own land. change will come when the israelis learn that their own children's future cannot be built on the misfor tune of others. change will come when they see their lives are not enriched by hatred or occupation. the lives of the palestinians may be cut short but the power of their convictions is too strong to die. last the president can deny this change or work to make the occupation come true.

if he denies it he too is spreading conflict destroying liberty while diminishing the ideals of america. if he chooses to end the occupation it will take work, the choice will be though to free the palestinians to end the fears of their children to heal the wounds and choose real peace. the only peace that will last peace with justice. thank you. >> she came all the way from north carolina had brought people with her, we appreciate that and we need every voice we can get to say free, free, palestine. long live palestine. free palestine. long live palestine. free free palestine. long live palestine. we are honored to have a lot of

amazing speakers with us here today. next someone who is very amazing and what they have put on the line and what they bring to this struggle and to this fight. a highly decorated former c.i.a. official whose standing in solidarity with the people of gaza. >> free free palestine. free free palestine. i'm thinking about the carnage in gaza right now and i'm inking about prophets and my favorite is the prophet who said indifference is evil is work worse than evil itself. there are times when not all of us are guilty but we are always

responsible. our government is enabling this mass consider and we have to stop it. the other prophet who comes to mind is a fellow named isiah. now some of you may not realize that isiah went around stark naked for two years now biblical scholars say well it's not clear that he was always naked just during lit urgecal services. now that doesn't get the man off the hook. what was he saying? look, you israelis, you criticize me. you say you are stripped of your garments. i say to you you israelis are stripped of the vision with which you were blessed by awe way, a vision of justice and sha loam and that is much more reprehensible. i see us here as determined not

to cooperate but that evil and not to be indifferent but rather to be promotors of that same vision. now, i have a confession to make. two times within the last eight years i voted for an ngo that means no guts obama. ok? ngo. no guts obama. remember when he made that speech in may of last year, the one that infill traited here at he was nal events conflicted. i don't like drones and guantanamo, i'm really sorry about that. is that who we are? no. that is not who we are. now, what's with this we, obama? what's with this we? that may be who you are.

t is not who we are. now, there are many of us who are ip volved in occupy here in washington, new york, and other cities. they put some of us in jail. now, the idea is we need to occupy the jails. what are they going to do, arrest us? we need to occupy the jails. people say that's not really smart. emerson said what are you doing in jail? and the question is what are you doing outside the jail so later today i'm going to join thorough with several of my colleagues. i invite you to join us because sometimes you have to put your body into the machine to stop it. o stop it and stop it.

>> our next speaker is a chairman of the league u.s.a. lease welcome him. my dear brothers and sisters, because time is short and we have to achieve a lot i want to ask you very simple questions. 00 people died, 9,000 people were severely injured, more than 9,000 houses demolished. houses, hospitals, u.n. centers, and schools bombarded. in this biggest

world? answer me. which one is the biggest terrorist on the face of the earth? who is the biggest security challenge? izz real. which country makes america most unpopular throughout the world? which country destroys the u.s. ? which country makes the most enemies of u.s.a.? my dear friends and sisters and brothers and all the nonmuslim community, i welcome you here. i will read from the core ran.

whatever you do, whatever you followers of he prophet believe and live. a few things before i finish my brothers and sisters. we gather here, we tell shame shame to me to bbc, washington folks. shame shame shame to fox news. nd god bless social media. hollywood actors and all the civilized people.

god bless them. he last thing. . op funding terrorist stop providing them the arms. my tax dollar and your tax dollar is being used to kill my own children. cannot tolerate this. bless america who are standing with the pal steins. thank you very much. >> all right. thank you so much for being here. next i want to bring up another great speaker, national coordinator of american muslims for palestine. thank you. welcome supporters.

a war criminal machine has been unleashed. palestine will be free. gaza will be free. gaza is standing tall. gaza will be victorious. what we are willing for here is for washington to get free. what we are wanting here is for our president to hear our demands. it is for our president to respond and to be responsible for our -- the people who elected him. for our elected congressmen to be to answer to the american people who elected them. what we are here for is to demand an end to the monopoly of the foreign lobby that is acting as an agent to the foreign country and has a monopoly towards the middle east. all the crimes are being committed in our name. all the crimes are being committed by our money. all the crimes are being

committed by american weapons and we are the american people refuse to stand with this. we as the american people refuse to stand with colonialism. we as american people refuse to be left dependent on the united states. it is us giving a life line to israel. it is not the other way around. it is us to demand israel to do what we ask them to do. it is us to dictate to israel to stop the aggression. lieberman to tell our secretary of state get out of there. that's what he once physically told. it is the secretary of state of the super power the soft super power. he should not be insulted. yet they accepted.

and we are demanding now. we are standing here in solidarity with palestine but also we are standing to tell our elected officials enough is enough. this war machine has to come to an end. killing babies in their crib is not the right thing to do. killing children should not be committed in our name. killing civilians, massacring them in markets and inside their homes is not what america stands for. and if our president cannot stand up to israel then he should give back the noble prize that he was given for doing nothing. so mr. president, mr. president, this is our call to you. either you live up to your promises, either you live up to the hope you promised us that you promised to the world or you will become another president who has failed and will continue to fail because you don't have the back spine

to stand for justice. thank you. >> no justice. u.s. out of the middle east. give another round of applause. our next speaker is a man who needs no introduction. brother cornell west. >> we want the world to go forth right now that we love the brothers and sisters in gaza. we are here out of a deep deep love for our palestinian brothers and sisters who are undergoing not just occupation not just domination not just hue millation but more and more every day anhileation and we won't stand for it. we won't stand one minute for it. i come to you in the spirit of

the love supreme of john coltrane and the spirit of my dear brother who tried to tell the trutesd a long time ago and we know the condition of truth is to allow suffering to speak just like we have an unapologetic love for those wrestning with unbelievable conditions under occupation. we want an end to occupation now. through others hey say benjamin netenia huh is a war criminal not because

he is jewish but because he a had chosen occupation and anileation. this is a human affair. he is a human being who chooses occupation is a war criminal and especially when they are killing precious palestinian babies, a palestinian baby has exactly the same status as a white baby in newtown connecticut as a brown baby on the east side of l.a. as a jewish baby in israel. every human being is made in the image of god. and we want the world to know that and know it well bauds we know the history. we know the history of the catastrophe, of the 750,000 precious arabs who were pushed out of 416 villages. we want that story to be told.

let's tell the truth. but let's the truth in such a way that we are honest and open. hatred here. anti-occupation here. anti-anileation of anybody here. this is a universal affair. but it begins with the precious palestinian brothers and sisters whose humanity is rendered in media, in the stories told. we want to shatter all the lies. there's an intimate connection between men dassty and krnt. between lies and crimes against humidity. and what i want to say to my black brothers in the white use, [inaudible]

barack obama is a war criminal not because he is black or half african and white but because his drones have killed 233 innocent children and because he facilitates the killing of innocent palestinians in gaza, in the west bank, and it would be true anywhere else. and i'm going to be honest with you before i sit down. that i would be here if there were a palestinian occupation of jewish brothers and sisters because it is wrong, it is unjust, and we stand not with the level of skin pigmentation or ethnic identity. this is eepcal, this is spiritual, with political consequences and that's why we do acknowledge the need for resistance under conditions of occupation and anhilelation and

the killing of any innocent civilian is a war crime but we're now 1600 and counting. that is israeli state terrorism in action. and it's jewish racism in motion. it does not speak on behalf of all the jewish brothers and sisters who have a choice to say we're against occupation we're against anilelation. let us be together. free palestine. let gaza live. > free free palestine. free free.

>> brothers and sisters let's give it up for brother cornell west one more time. the next person i want to bring up is someone whose courage is inspiring to me every day, someone who when they saw the criminal invasion of iraq in 2003 resigned their position from the state department in protest of that injustice and stands up against ip justice every single day. colonel ann rice. lease welcome her. >> i worked for the u.s. government way too long. i was 29 years in the u.s. military. i was a u.s. diplomat for 16 years. one of the elements i put in my resignation letter was the unbalanced policy of the united

states. they have become even more imbalanced more favoring the israelis everywhere. the attacks on gaza, three attacks in the last five years, massive attacks. this is not a war. these are military attacks with no way to defend. the palestinians in gaza are like fish in a barrel. there's no where for them to go, nowhere fror them to hide. the israelis are just picking them off one by one with the agreement of the united states of america. it is up to us as the citizens, of this country, to keep going after president obama to keep going after the state department and our congress to say we are horrified about the level of u.s. support for israel that israel can act with impunity but we say no. no to israelis impunity. no. o.

and we also we say the only way that there will be peace there is to end the seige of gaza. end the seige of gaza. thank you. >> give another round of applause, please. just a quick announcement. karl mess inyo, if you are in the awsions please come up to the stage. that note, netenia huh, you can't hide. we charge you with genocide. nentia hu can't you see, alestine will be free. free free palestine.

nd the occupation now. free free palestine. occupation is a crime. please welcome the national coordinator, mr. brian becker. >> sisters and brothers, all around the country and all around the world people are standing together in solidarity with the people of gaza. the u.s. corporate media used to be able to conceal the crimes committed by the israeli defense forces paid for by u.s. taxpayers but now the images so horrific gruesome images are

coming through all kinds of international media and social media and they can no longer conceal the fact that the israeli government policy has ever been about peace. it's only about a relentless war against the indiginous palestinian population with the idea that strategic idea that under enough pressure with enough bombs and enough missiles, with a seige that goes on so people cannot feed themselves cannot get medicine for their children cannot travel cannot see their loved ones have to endure all the indiggets of racism and occupation, the israeli government their strategic concept is that the palestinian

nation, the palestinian people would disappear because what people could possibly withstand decade after decade of that kind of treatment? and what we see today even though the israelis have succeeded in imposing great suffering, they have killed 1500, 250 children and babies, thousands wounded even though they succeeded in that the israelis have failed. they have been defeated because the pal stibion people will never resisting. nd when they resist and as they resist -- as the pal stin yin people resist they become a magnet for support. so you see, all over the world

right now the people are standing with gaza. all over the united states there is a change taking place. the american people no longer want to have their taxpayer money go for genocide against palestinians. among the jewish american community especially the younger people they no longer see israel as the last refuge following the holocaust. they see israel as a privileged nation that is pursuing a colonial policy of racism and death and more and more jewish americans are saying no not in our name. this is the strategic defeat

for the u.s. and israeli plan and we just have to look back that historical analogy same same seem to be true about south africa's racist apartheid government, that they had all the guns and missiles and bombs or but you know the world rose up. the world rose up. the world rose up to say not one more nickle or dime for racism or apartheid. and the apartheid government came down and that is what will happen with palestine. we're going to hear muslims, christians, jews, people of different political persuasions, we have formed a very broad coalition. and today is at not the end at

all. it is the beginning of a new day, a mass movement, a grass roots movement. and we will turn the tide. thank you very much. free palestine. let gaza live. free free palestine. brothers and sisters, we are going to hear next from a very powerful speaker who has a very personal message. one that needs to be heard by people around this world. and i won't say too much more than that. i will let her -- himself. the legal director of the partnership for civil justice. and with him my very good friend. -- on manufacture arl marlo. >> good afternoon. i'm really pleased and proud as

a parent to be here with my nine-year-old son who knows hat gaza must be free. and i am thankful that every night he goes to sleep securely , peacefully. he doesn't have to worry about hellfire missiles, about f-16s, about waking up and having his apartment building destroyed around him. that is not the way it is in gaza today. the civilian population in the gaza strip is under direct attack. in gaza, there is nowhere to turn, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, nowhere a mother or a father can protect her or his family. entire families have been killed. children watch as their parents suffer in death. parents grief stricken return home to find their precious families slaughtered. hospitals clinics, united

nations places of refuge have all been targeted. the israeli government has declared its military the most moral army in the world. such arrogance. such a per version. no words could cal or further from the truth. israel is to intentionally targeting civilians, a war crime, a crime against humanity. you may not target ivilians in their homes. the law says you cannot target civilians. israel cannot convert unarmed civilians into targets for death with a warning or a text message that say they are coming, they are armed and on their way. let me speak personally for a moment. i will disregard some of the

remarks i had prepared about the law. i want to speak not just as a lawyer, but an american jew. when i was in hebrew school, they taught us that the jewish people were to be a light unto the nations. if the israeli army acts as an nstrument of terror, raining death and destruction on innocent gazans, using pinpoint weaponry to slaughter unarmed civilians by the scores, when i was in hebrew school they also taught me that palestine was a people without a land. that was a lie. hundreds of palestinian vigil jews were lost and destroyed -- villages were lost and destroyed. millions of palestinian refugees are without land and without a state. look at them huddled in gaza. those who will label any criticism of israel as being anti-jewish. and this is not true. criticism of israel is not the

same thing as being anti-jewish. [applause] my jewish education taught me that it is the silence of good people in the face of inhumanity that allows evil to be perpetrated. my jewish education instilled in me the precious value of life of all humanity, that while we should not suffer, we should not kill. we as jews have to confront the lies of the israeli state, reject the myth and false nurturance of zionism, -- false narratives of zionism and openly , re-examine the root causes of the problem that we have created. we must reject the dehumanization of the look at them huddled in gaza. those who will label any criticism of israel as being anti-jewish. monstrous atrocities of the nazis, but there is nothing in

the whole experience of the holocaust that gives them license to do such atrocities against the gazans. they killed children, entire fallacies -- entire families, mow them down and destroy them as a people. i care very deeply for my jewish people and for the physical safety, the moral integrity which is lost day and day again. as a jew, i long for the day which, in as air is passed -- eras past, muslims, jews, and palestinians coexist. -- and christians coexist. and so israel must end the illegal siege and blockade of gaza. where do i stand as an american jew? i stand with the gazans, and their heart ache frustration,

, and anger. as an american jew i stand with them as they say that could be no peace without justice, and -- end the blockade. i stand with the gazans when i condemned the israeli army for his terrorism, it's war crimes, it's inhumane atrocities. as a jewish american i am doubly , obligated because i know that the israeli military strength comes from the billions in defense and aid that pours in from the united states. here we are, right in front of the white house. president obama, i implore you, stop the aid to israel. we are paying for the f-16s, and the hellfire missiles. we are paying for the indiscriminate artillery for the , tanks that target schools and refuge and safety. we are facilitating the

slaughter of the gazans, we are complicit. president obama make it stop. , [applause] we stand together at this historic demonstration, muslims, christians, and jews, all sharing our common humanity, a longing for justice, and together as one voice we demand let gaza live. free, free, palestine. let gaza live. [applause] >> sisters and brothers, please welcome the national director of the american muslim alliance. [applause]

>> you sound wonderful. you sound wonderful here in washington dc on behalf of the people of gaza and palestine. right now i want introduce, we have a lot of speakers and things going on. i want to let you know that we have thousands of postcards being distributed on the behalf of the american muslim alliance. it is addressed to obama and it does not say yes, we can. it says yes we will end the occupation now. please take these cards, and right now i want to take the opportunity to introduce another person who needs no introduction whatsoever. he is my brother, he has been in the forefront of civil rights

and civil or liberties. i want to introduce the executive director, he is here because he cares. no pun intended. he represents the council american muslim relations. [applause] >> good afternoon. peace to everyone who is listening and watching. thank you for coming. thank you for traveling to washington dc. and thank you all who are watching c-span today at other networks. this should be a historic day for america.

this should be a historic day for people of conscience. i am utterly disturbed as a muslim, as a palestinian, as an american, to see my fellow palestinians being slaughtered every day with my tax dollar money. i am upset with my government because my government does not represent the values of america of peace, justice, and wally for , -- equality for all. ladies and gentlemen, this carnage and slaughter at the hands of the israeli defense forces should the called the israeli offensive against civilian population forces.

this brutal government has been slaughtering innocent populations knowing that it will be targeting innocent civilians. knowing that it will be hitting schools, and hospitals. knowing that the biggest casualties will be among the civilians. so why is the majority of the casualties civilians? there are three possibilities. number one, they had bad equipment, which i doubt. second, the soldiers are a bad shot, which i doubt, because they are trained. they have an official policy to target civilian populations. i believe that is the policy. to target civilian populations. according to the definition of

terrorism, any use of force against civilian populations to achieve political aimed, that is the definition of terrorism. that is why some latin countries have claimed israel as a terrorist state. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, you know that the polls have shown that the american public does not support this carnage. why? because they see powerful images of children being murdered. they see limbs, they see schools being flattened, they see you in u.n. schools- being bombarded. they know that america never signed up for this. they know that this is in defiance to what we stand for as americans. even media commentators started

to shift because they started to speak truth to their audience. why? because of social media. anyone who has a cell phone is an independent media outlet. that is why the power of the images, the power of the civilian population, the faces of the victims have overwhelmed the world. that is why you see new voices from the jewish community, the media except fox news. , no news, it is only fox views. fox news should be ashamed of themselves because they should serve the american public, not the israeli public. things are moving, the american people reject this war against the innocent population of

palestine. but why is our administration in full support of the actions of the israeli government? why congress is voting to send more arms to the state of israel? why is that? that is the question, ladies and gentlemen. those who are watching nationwide, congress is acting in defiance of its mandate to the congress people of the u.s.. were elected by the people created -- people old. . why our elected leaders are taking action on the state of israel, not america.

blunt but also with all of you. vent butme here and this is not good enough. what is needed to be done, we need to tell our members of congress that they have latched allegiance to the constitution of the united states, not the state of israel. ,nd therefore we ask the world our -- we have to hold our leaders accountable. it is our tax money that is going. , this scourge is being committed in america's name. paid to stay out but israel is being supplied with american f-16s. this does not speak for make money this does not speak for

the majority of americans. that is why i'm asking you after this rally to call your elected representative to hold them theuntable and not accept bond. aipac should [inaudible] of the united states congress. they have corrected our foreign policy. they have corrupted our clinical leaders. to speak theirrs party line. not speak their conscience. the mic was not studio he said, it is a hell of a 10 point operation. that israelclaim

was not turning the population. this is the truth that our appointed leaders when they are -- they speak the truth when they are to themselves. i want them to be free from the party line. i want them to re-pledge the legion -- their allegiance to america and american values. see this number, save it. if you want to save gaza, save this number. call this number. this is the white house number. 202-456-1111. please call the white house. express your the satisfaction with this policy. tell them and demand that they stop the blockade.

learn more about our organizations create more thistantly, contact website. the american people should know more about this issue. website for people to learn about the facts and to counter the lies and the propaganda of the pro-israel lobby. thank you. peace. >> free, free palestine. someone who is not afraid to put their body on the line. someone who was arrested last week. representing code pink. >> if you have been in the streets protesting for palestine make a noise.

my name is allie mccracken. toare based in d.c. working get our government to stop funding wars and occupations. we are honored to be out here with all of you. amazing solitary activists. we have been protesting at the white house for years and protesting in the halls of congress. we have been protesting at the state department. we have protested at john kerry's house. just the other day some people were arrested at the israeli embassy and we brought people to protest in gaza, in tel aviv, and the west bank. do we do next? what do we do when the massacre is over? how many of you have heard of the boycott investment and sanction movement? an international movement to get israel to stop occupying palestine and lift the

siege of gaza. i code pink we have our own what -- campaign called stalin stolen beauty. not only using her tests and petitions, not only have we gotten stores across the world the store hasut had to shut down in london. and the air to the disney fortune has invested $12 million. as it gains traction across the world and has a huge impact, surely israeli apartheid will have to crumble. inis up to all of us to be the streets standing up for palestine because we know our government is not going to be

the one doing it. since we stand for human rights and dignity we know that we are on the right side of history. free, free palestine. >> free, palestine. >> free, free, palestine. thank you. back sisters and brothers, our next speaker is an activist with students against israeli apartheid. she is an activist with the [inaudible] network. >> today we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in palestine. as the number increases and our anger and sorrow deepens we find ourselves asking what can we do and how can i help?

-- [inaudible] today our generation has been deeply affected by the zionist narrative and the language that has been imposed upon us. we are made to relief that we must track for peace rather than justice. to replace [inaudible] with endless negotiation. we are -- they are trying to soil the word we hold sacred. these words will always be sacred because they belong to the oppressed. they empower us and strike fear into the hearts of cowards. where people of resistance and we need to rebuild our cultural resistance. we did not trade our right of return for adventism. -- [inaudible] still in the streets

exercising their right to resist colonial domination. we must program the language we use to describe our struggle. by surrounding to the language of peace we have handcuffed the means by which our people can resist. we open the door for the world's most violent country to criticize our tools of liberation. and being mindful of our language we will protect and reinforce our narrative and for this reason, resistance in this country will start with the town -- tongue. that weade to believe must separate our nationality from other identities. this is a symptom of repression. it doesn't matter if you are an academic, health care provider, an athlete, or a professional. be its intore to our dna. destroy the cost boundaries that divide your identities and keep e light on your

tongue. why is it that we have the facts and righteousness on our side it are for traded as the aggressors -- portrayed as the aggressors? zionisthad the narrative so imposed on us we have reinforced it. there's a thing intellectual about compromise your beliefs. we are told to talk about our right to resist and that it should be kept at the dinner table. we have to sit back and listen to the constant affirmation that israel has a right to defend itself. the zionistson entity gets away with this ludicrous rhetoric is because they are not willing to deviate from their narrative and because we plan audience to it. we must resist the zionist entity at every turn. they must know their presence is not welcome.

anywhere that values justice. i do not care what the setting maybe. there's no room for it a diversity of our opinions -- diversity of opinions on human rights. cultures of resistance foster accountability. if you support the death and destruction of another people then you should be prepared to face the consequences. zionist and city is trying to extinguish our hope that they do not realize that with every bomb dropped and bullet fired the fire in our heart grows hotter. that fire is going to reach a point where they can no longer be contained and when that happens we will euro off the yoke of corneal role in religion will be reduced to ashes. some of our brothers and sisters would be the rated eye appealing to those in the state apartment that -- state department. no oppressed people have ever

been liberated by the state. the state is inherently repressive way it's very nature. we may be standing in front of the white house but i am not here speaking so obama may hear me. obama did not do anything for black kids in chicago and will not do anything for our kids in palestine. a call for palestine to be light on your tongue. this is a call to reclaim our narrative. this is a call for the annihilation of mental colonization. this is a call for the quality of all and the supremacy of none. >> thank you. from students against israeli apartheid. given what -- give it up one more time. i want to bring up next someone who is integral in putting this rally together.

thank you. peace, peace.cry but there is no peace. is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? forbid it, almighty god. me liberty or give me death. me just say some people are little upset. be careful, do not criticize the president. you may not get invited to the to me tell you something. i do not care if i never go to

the white house if a palestinian cannot live and safe -- safety and dignity and liberty in their house. i do not care. i do not care. you cannot buy my dignity for some rice and lamb and thomas. -- humus. standing and we are standing with what dr. king said. he said, this is the coward may ask, is it safe? pop -- conscience will ask is it right, is it right and we said

no, it is not right. it is not right. decades thex palestinian people have known nothing but oppression and disposition. it is not right and we're going to stand up today. we're going to stand up and we will say that indeed that we have a right to stand up and say in the occupation -- and the occupation now. the occupation now. will be brief and say to you that we are going to raise all the forces that we have here. we're going to raise the voices of jewish communities, muslim communities, christian communities, non-religious affiliation communities. we will raise all voices. we will lift every voice and saying.

facing the rising sun for our new date has begun. until palestine is free and victory is won. free palestine. free $. -- palestine. i have the honor of introducing our next speaker. all the way from new york city. the philippine and the rest of worker organization. please welcome lidia. >> [indiscernible]

i am a filipina domestic worker antitrafficking celebrity. and a trafficking survivor. we are here [indiscernible] and call it for what it is. israel is funded and supported by the u.s.. we are migrant workers from the philippines. as nannies and

housekeepers and caretakers for the elderly. we have been forced by u.s. imperialism. forced to go abroad . ago philippines were history ofour exportation [indiscernible] with the palestinian people. our hearts go out to the who areian people resisting u.s.-israeli occupation.

end massacre in gaza. an israeli occupation. from the rivers to the sea. palestine will be free. do not be afraid. thank you. [applause] >> want to remind you that american muslim alliance has these postcards we will send to obama. out.nt them to go and the occupation. without citing this

postcards. thank you and free palestine. >> brothers and sisters, you cannot see it but i can see it. we are starting to fill up the park on all sides going all the way back. i will tell you what else. i got a text message that said they are on the metro on their way here with a train full of people coming to join this protest. we are only getting stronger. we have to let our other brothers and sisters get here to be part when we march. i want to bring up a great friend of mine. a strong fighter in this struggle. bice chair of the national black united front.

free palestine. if the government can send money to bomb palestine they can send some money to detroit and southeast d.c.. i have been fighting for years to -- for self-determination. and the right to control their land. free palestine. but power. >> others and sisters the next person i want to bring appear is a very powerful brother.

someone who has turned against the evils of this country that they are waging wars all over the place. he is an iraq war veteran. representing the party for ocialism and liberation. free, free palestine. free, free palestine. thank you. like eugene said, i am a member of the pfl. i want to tell you a story about how i ended appear and i want to tell you the story because right now there is a shift happening in the u.s. where people who never thought about houston before, who never thought about the conflict before are joining us in the streets, joining us in .heir words and conversations knowing what is happening is a crime. we never would have imagined they would take that position. 2003 lakesack in

amid people who joined the military. i grew up like everyone else theeving we were told country was formed by the people. we were about helping the oppressed. i believed that. i believe that when we are going to rack and they were telling us things like self-defense. when they're saying things like terrorism, words that israel uses. the -- it to iraq and had to think about what was happening. as people started fighting, as people started resisting i had to ask myself what would i be doing? our officers, our commanders, the politicians what they were telling us that they are resisting because they're terrorists. because they are evil. because they are less than human. i thought, what would i do if it was my home, if it was my country, if it was my family that was destroyed, it was -- if

it was my brother that was killed. if i was there i would be resisting to. they have the right to resist. when people are occupying resistance is justified. people are occupied resistance is justified. this was not for freedom and democracy. they wanted to control the entire region not for us but for corporations and oil companies through violence and domination. that is why they support israel. when they cannot justify why it is because they want to control that region so they use that to do it and we can stop them and this is stopping them.

we must stay fighting. rex we holding on for a few more people to join us. we will bring up a couple more great speakers. now representing veterans for peace. hello, others and sisters. i am a u.s. military veteran that has been lied to. many of us have been lied to. i'm also a jew. that government does not represent me. that u.s. government which has lied to us and is complicit in murder. complicit in war crimes, does not represent me and neither does the state of israel represent me. i just came from the veterans for peace national convention in north carolina. i am very proud to say that we passed a strong resolution in support of palestinians in gaza. i want to read you a couple

is bitterness and -- as veterans who have witnessed the horror for we are deeply outraged i the state of israel's slaughter on innocent civilians in gaza. like this girl who lost her entire family when her home was bombed by israel. and young children like this have been orphaned if not killed and injured. it is horrible. veterans for peace joins millions around the globe who were shocked by the one-sided slaughter. we call on israel to stop the slaughter now. power to the people. free palestine. free gaza. next thank you for being here.

fax on behalf of the palestinian american council and its 11 chapters want to welcome you all here. we have come across these united states to be here to tell the obama administration that we must stand up against occupation. we must stand against oppression. we must stand against injustice. we must stand against apartheid. have come with bleeding hearts. with tearing eyes, with bewildered minds and streaming souls at the tragedies committed i israel. we are consumed with anger and frustration and indignation.

this white house allows israel to defend itself but does not recognize that the palestinians have an international right to it resist the occupation. relaxed that no one in conference thee claim that it is occupying palestine and gaza. paris --el controls palestine's territorial airspace, land, and see, it is occupying palestine. they must -- they cannot claim self-defense from those that it occupies. free, free $.

>> i want to bring up carol gay. andood afternoon, sisters others. people. greetings from new jersey. i am here representing the labor network and we are proud to be here in support of the palestinian people. we are here to speak up against injustice. silence is complicity. we will never remain silent in the face of these are in this crimes against amenity. these brutal were crimes. thedeath toll has surpassed death toll of operation [inaudible] words are insufficient to express our sorrow, our anger at the atrocities being committed

against palestinians. i'm sure all of you have been crying tears of rage, two. tears of rage. we understand that israel's massive assault is not about defense, it is about the annihilation of the palestinians. annihilation which has been going on for decades. as workers we are here in solidarity with all palestinians in gaza and the west inc. and with palestinian refugees scattered around the world. we are here especially to denounce loudly the u.s. government unquestioning support for israel. blind supportg for israel is immoral and illegal. u.s. imports as to the world that the u.s. has a shocking disregard for human life and for international and humanitarian law. how can the u.s. stand by and watch the killing of innocent children on the beach, the

shelling of hospitals and u.n. schools, the bombardment of homes and mosques, killing entire families. the destruction of power plants and water supplies. the indiscriminate attacks are nothing but collective punishment. depriving people of life saving electricity and water and ultimately their lives. collective punishment is not a path to peace. we are here to demand that obama and john kerry and the congress force israel to stop the bombing and can the u.s. stop the bombing? yes. we have the power, cut off the funds. cutoff all funding. do not send anymore arms. let gaza live. you. i want to bring up her brother rod a lot of people here from ohio.

we also want to mention some other people. we're happy to have you here. >> thank you. i am coming here today not just be in solidarity with the palestinian people. i am palestinian people so this is our struggle. you want to tell obama here on the right side here where the white house is at that the palestinian people have a right to defend themselves. they have a right to resist israeli terrorism. gaza has had titles inside the strip since alexander the great. resistance is nothing new.

we will resist with everything we have, with all our might. from gaza, from the west bank and the united states and ireland. all of the world. we will i want to give a big the 200 people who came from cleveland, ohio on over three buses. sevene held demonstrations, seven consecutive weeks and we demand not coming here to plead. we demand the and of the bombings on the gaza strip. long live palestine. free, free palestine. sea the river to the palestine will be free.

long live palestine. we're getting ready, we'll have to people say something. we have a very important event. the are fighting against racist and unjust -- immigration system. we want to start our march i give them their time. i want to give someone who has spent many years in solidarity a chance. >> if you think of the middle you in this modern time cannot help but see the world palestine. they live in other countries,

their freedom almost gone, --estine nature freedom needs her freedom ♪ our -- her needs freedom. lovetine needs our people of all countries of every race and creed we need a new beginning. let us plan the seed plant the love seat group. plant the seed for everyone --although world will know all the world will know. palestine needs her freedom palestine needs our love

she's our love. freedome needs her needs our love ♪ sarahre joined here by we honore sister, and or memory. i want to bring one final speaker. the international representative of the nation of islam. give it up for my man. [applause] before akbar speaks, they

are here also. we are going to begin marching on -- out of that's in part. you have to turn around and march that way but not instantly because you have to hear his words. as soon as he is done or you think he is almost done let's begin the march to the washington post. thank you. >> thank you. law -- allahf a beneficent and merciful. i am the international representative for minister louis farrakhan. he sends you his love and greetings. if he was not faced with some health challenges he would be right here on the stage. lifting his voice against the slaughter

that has gone on in gaza. i want to say this. america represents a ship at sea without a captain at the helm. whichever way the wind blows and the windsor the hand -- [inaudible] well loved him when he came into office but for him to show weakness in the face of the slaughter in gaza is appalling. we need to say be your own man. you know that it is wrong. you know what people are suffering. you looking at it on the news every night. you know that collective punishment is against the law. you know that the israelis have a design. three wars and five years killing nearly 2000 palestinians each time in order to dissipate the rights. he also knows that every time a palestinian child watches his family went off, do you think that he will come and say i forgive you america? it will be in his let that i must take revenge for what has

happened to my people. the palestinian people must resist. i want to take a minute. look at the weakness of egypt. on monday the heads of state from all over africa will be here. they should take a page from 1973 when the use told the african leaders center israeli ambassador home and bring your ambassador back and close the indices to show their protest. they need to show that strength today. if barack sees that the world is upset with him standing by, one more thing i want to say. but he came out for a press conference for the ukraine crisis. he started off by saying israel has the right to defend itself. israel has the right to kill babies, israel has the right to kill a man and woman and wiped out entire families, no. it is wrong and we must lift our voices at. free palestine. free gaza.

thank you. >> ok. we thank him so we are going to start to march out to your left, to my right. we have -- we're going out in this way we would like to thank rabbi weiss for bringing out his congregation. we thank you for being here and we are on our way out. we're moving this direction. we are got to move. moving out in this direction. we are moving out this window to the washington post so you have to turn and go to your left. they have a very important rally, a very important message against the immigration system. we are proud to share this phase toh them so i welcome them take over and do their thing.

>> tonight c-span in primetime includes coverage of the western conservative summit in denver hosted by the colorado christian university. the featured speaker is former alaska governor sarah palin. >> these days you hear all of these politicians, they are denouncing president obama saying he is -- ignores court orders and changes laws and refuses to enforce laws that he just doesn't like. that is true. but the question is, ok, politicians, what are you going to do about it? [applause]

let's call their bluff. i'm calling their bluff because we need a little less talk and a lot more action. there is only one remedy for a president who commits high rimes and merchandise, misdemeanor. >> on c-span tonight at 8:00 .m. eastern. >> on the next "washington journal," we'll look at the issues members of congress will be dealing with during their august recess leading to the fall elections. siddiqui is sabrina and we'll also be joined by harles lewis, author of "935 lies". "washington journal" is live on

c-span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> c-span 2's book tv this weekend. friday night at 8:00 eastern with books on marriage equality, the obama's versus the clintons bob marion barry jr. woodward interviews john dean on the watergate scandal. and anthony marx sheds light on the president's past, present nd future. the africa summit continues this morning on c-span 2. bill clinton will moderate a panel that includes the heads of g.e., dow chemical and wal-mart.

it continues on c-span just after 11:00 eastern with national security advisor susan rice. secretary of state john kerry discussing issues facing africa and senegal and tunisia. president obama will address the roup in the afternoon. >> south african president jacob zuma is in washington, d.c. po participate in the leaders summit. he spoke yesterday. this is an hour.

>> good afternoon and welcome. i'm a former international bureau chief with the associated press and the 107th president to have national press club. the world's leading professional organization for journalists committed to our profession's future through our programming with events such as this, while fostering a free press worldwide. for more information about the national press club please visit our website at press.org. on behalf of our members worldwide, i would like to welcome our speaker and those of you attending today's event. our head table includes guests of our speaker as well as working journalists who are club members. if you hear applause, i know members of the general public are attending. it is not evidence of

journalistic objectivity. i would also like to welcome our c-span and public radio audiences. you can follow the action on witter usinging the hash tag nbc lunch. i will ask as many questions as ime permits. now time to introduce our head table guests and asked each of you to ask -- it stands briefly. from your right, senior vice president thomas jefferson waterman international. please hold the applause until i finished. i know you are eager to do so. eric smeltzer. our friend has excellency ambassador to south africa to the united states.

david call away, editor in chief of usa today. the first lady of the republic or south africa. the washington bureau chief of the buffalo news, chair of the national press club speaker committee and former president of the nationals press club. skipping over the guest of honor for a moment kasha, bloomberg news correspondent and speakers committee member who organized oday's event, thank you. the minister of international relations and cooperation. paul barber, the north american editor of afp tv. connie long, president of audiovisual news and senior white house correspondent who for many years was familiar to outh africans during the

apartheid time from washington and when she met nelson mandela when he was here 20 years ago he said, and the radios were smuggled into the cells, connie's broadcast gave them hope. thank you for being such an active member of the national press club. . .

of wealth and income. two decades later, our guest of honor today, the current south african president, jacob zuma, presides over a much improved country. the par tide is long ended. many in south africa have access to clean water and electricity. the murder rate has been cut by more than half and a proportion of those living on less than $2 a day has declined. even so, south africa remains economically unequal, the country has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world and the country's growth forecast this year has been lowered. in a positive development, south africa was invited to join brazil, russia, india and china

in association with large market economies known as the bricks. these nations seek more involvement in international affairs and more access to resources. last month, president zuma agreed to develop a $50 million bank and $100 billion currency exchange reserve, lowering their dependence on the monetary fund and world bank. the president secured his second term as the country's leader. this week he is in washington to participant in the u.s.-africa summit. she seeking more trade and investment as well as president obama's support. for various economic development programs, climate change and environmental protections. sorry. environmental protection issues. please join me in welcoming

jacob zuma, president of the republic of south africa. >> thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much indeed. the president of the national press club, ministers who are here, particularly the ones who accompany me to this great

country, ambassadors who are with us here, particularly ambassador to south africa to presenting the united states and the ambassador to the united states representing south africa, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor and a pleasure to be able to speak to you today from the same podium that our president nelson mandela spoke at 10 years ago when he was sanctioned for

having supported our struggle. he was south africa's first democratically elected president. i would like to thank the national press club for providing this unique opportunity for us to talk about our country's journey towards a truly nonracial, nonsexist, and prosperous south africa. we have achieved a lot since the dawn of freedom in 1994. we have laid a firm foundation

for sizing democracy in a short space of time. among our key achievements is the memory in which we have created an open democracy and and open society. we pride ourselves in having progressive constitution that enshrines freedom and expression and that also the media -- we are also proud of a well-established democratic processes, such as holding of elections successfully and

transparently every five years. in may this year, we cast a ballot for the fifth time, cheerfully, patiently, and in peace. our democracy has come of age in a very short space of time. we have also done well in bringing a new society and an improved quality of life. we have made enormous strides in expanding success to free education, housing, electricity, clean water, and sanitation for people who did not have these

basic services before. close to half of our people are now in the middle to higher income brackets due to progressive transformation policies by the democratic government. the number of people living in absolute poverty has been slashed by the extension of sustainable safety, safety net to 50 million of our people who are more living in a vulnerable conditions as citizens.

towards ambitious target, over 5% growth by 2019, we believe we have laid a sound economic foundation. we are also encouraged by the fact that our foreign direct investment outlook continues to be positive. last year, fallen companies in south africa for the first time or expanded their investments, contributing to a total direct investment in flow of

8.2 billion u.s. dollars, which has doubled the figure for 2012. earnest and young predicts that such flows into south africa will average 10 billion u.s. dollars annually for the next four years. other investors also continuing to seek opportunities within the continent, working with south african companies. in addition, the economic fallen rank south africa among the world's best for the strength of our banks, the independence of

our cause, and -- with protection we afford property rites. we are also recognized for the transparency of our policy-making, the rigor of our financial auditing, and the reporting standards and the govern of our financial markets. another important -- goldman sack last year titled two decades of freedom, what south africa is doing with it and what now needs to be done.

investment bank found much to admire in our performance between 1994 and 2013. we took our g.d.p. from 136 u.s. billion dollars to 400 billion u.s. dollars. we tamed inflation while expanding our tax base more than seven-fold. the market capitalization of businesses on the johannesburg stock exchange grew eight-fold. we increased our gold and

foreign exchange reserves from 3 billion to 50 billion u.s. dollars. we rarely have a good story to tell about years, also south africa's democratic rule. but we are also the first to admit that our work is not yet completed. we still have a long, hard road ahead. we confront the challenges of unemployment, poverty, and inequality. fortunately, we have a road map

in the form of the national plan, vision 2030. by 2030, we want poverty to be history, unemployment to be rejuiced, and growth to average an annual 5.4%. these are not easy targets, but with determination and hard work, nothing is impossible. ladies and gentlemen, as of this morning, we met with members of the u.s. chamber of commerce.

there are about 600 u.s. companies investing in the south african economy. the presence of these companies demonstrates that south africa is a viable investment destination. we look forward to the further expansion of investment opportunities with the u.s. and other key markets. the african growth and opportunity act has been a powerful instrument in achieving this goal.

over 95% of our exports getting to the u.s. market through agoa while opening up markets for our goods, agoa has also been opening up and helping to grow new markets for american goods and services. we look forward to unconditional and long-term of agoa with south africa included among the beneficiaries. ladies and gentlemen, let me add that south africa will succeed, not alone, but as part of the

broader african success story. we are working to integrate our economies and to boost regional trade. we are appropriating -- promoting industrialization and the power generation. we are developing transport infrastructure to get our goods both to overseas markets and to the internal markets that we are creating. together, as african countries, we are making progress in all these areas.

transcontinental corridors running south to east to west are moving from the drawing board to reality. plans to tap the 40,000 hydro power potential of the dam in the democratic republic of congo is also becoming a reality. the free trade area uniting southern, central, and east africa into a market of 600 million consumers with a

combined g.d.p. of 1 trillion u.s. dollars is now a reality and a prospect. and that indicates how much we are reorganizing the continent of africa for the best, how much we want to be part of the economic activities of our continent. it is truly a reason of great hope and promise for africa. while challenges remain in the areas of peace and security, poverty in parts of the

continent, there is a determination to find african-led solutions to african problems. partnerships with the world in dealing with these challenges are important. in this regard, we welcome the opportunity that this week's u.s.-african summit provides to engage further on africa's economic growth, development, and security. we thank president barack obama for the invitation to participant in this summit. we are ready to discuss

partnerships that will will assist in making african-led initiatives succeed. we hope that the outcomes of the summit can be achieved and be implemented through mechanisms. we also look forward to outcomes that will be co-owned, co-developed and be co-driven by the participanting nations. ladies and gentlemen, we meet during a difficult period in the middle east. we are outraged by the killing of civilians by israel.

we also condemn the killing of israeli civilians by hamas. we call upon all sides to lay down arms and work towards a negotiated solution that will lead to the international recognized and supported two-state solution. we believe violence will not solve the israeli-palestine

problem. but negotiations, compromises people must make in a spirit of give and take for the sake of a bigger picture for the lives of their people. ladies and gentlemen, it has been a real privilege to meet with you today. south africa has a good story to tell. we are open for investment, open for trade, open for tourism, and open for partnerships that will enhance our drive towards a better life for all of our people. director of the program, i am

with my ministers and deputy ministers who are at the tables and i'm sure as we engage, they will also feel necessary to come in and emphasize or throw light on other issues. i thank you very much for the opportunity. >> thank you again for a very substantive speech.

now we have the traditional question and answer session. >> sir, what industries in south africa will help the economy most to rebound this year from a weak first quarter to your promised and projected 5% growth? >> one, we will be expecting all industries that will find an opportunity in south africa. as you know, south africa is one of the mining areas of the world. we are aware that there has been some strikes in that sector, but we are consoled by the fact that

the relations between companies and unions has a very good tradition in south africa. there has been some strikes that took longer. but those matters are being addressed by both government, the private sector, the companies as well as the trading themselves. i'm mentions it because you cannot exclude mining in the industries that south africa will undertake for a long time to come. and it is, therefore, open for investment. but we are also looking at energy. we have taken decisions about

image -- which includes, among others, the wind, hydro, nuclear energy, all energies that we talk about. we have taken the decision to deal with -- one thing that we deal with, exploiting each of these, but also are aware that south africa, i think, has developed which the americans will agree is an economic game changer, but also are discovering oil and with the abundance of coal. and, therefore, the issue of

energy in particular is very important in bouncing back our economy so that we can move quicker than any other time before. i'm merely mentioning a few. the list is endless in south africa. >> why should american businesses invest in south africa? >> because the opportunities are open in south africa. i think we have a country which is democratic, which is a constitutional democracy. the democracy that does not depend on individual or political parties. it is entrenched in the constitution. it is one of the things

well-organized labor force. that's why even with strikes we are able to handle them because of regulations, to deal with the situation in south africa. i think it is a country with open opportunities. that's why the american companies must come and invest. >> what do you think the bricks bank will do that the world bank, i mf and other world development banks are not doing today? >> i'm not sure whether they -- indicate very specifically what are the banks that have been there for a long time have not been doing. but of course they are dealing with the african leader who has been here for quite a while.

there has been a concern from the african leaders that the existing banks that have been there before have not succeeded to produce an example country that has helped successfully and it is now this -- give concern and therefore a mixed feeling. that's why there's been a call that there must be a reform of these global financial institutions. and of course they are old institutions. the bricks bank comes from among developing countries, comes from the south. it has said from the beginning it is there to help countries develop