Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered Thursday outside the Democratic Party of Lane County’s offices in downtown Eugene.
They continued their calls for elected officials to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide.
“We want for Senators Wyden and Merkley and Congresswoman Val Hoyle to represent the interests of Americans, not the state of Israel," Planet Vs. Pentagon spokesperson Trisha Driscoll told KLCC.
Driscoll called on the lawmakers to stop calling the Israel-Palestine conflict a war, to defy pro-Israel lobbyists that have supported some Democratic lawmakers, and to advocate for a one-state solution with equal rights.
Merkley has called starvation in Gaza “collective punishment,” and voted to try to block some weapon shipments to Israel. He recently visited the region and told the Oregon Capital Chronicle he saw Rafah in "absolute rubble."
Wyden recently signed onto a letter asking for investigations and potential sanctions against Israel settlers over aid interference, and has called for a ceasefire. But he voted against blocking arms to Israel earlier this year, citing potential threats from Iran.
Speaking to reporters in Eugene last month before a contentious town hall, Hoyle said she would stop the war in Gaza if she could. She’s called Israel’s actions “ethnic cleansing.” Last month, she signed onto the “Block the Bomb Act,” which would prevent the President from sending some weapons to Israel without congressional approval.
