Protesters gathered at the Egyptian Consulate Saturday afternoon in a demonstration condemning the Egyptian government’s role in enabling the genocide in Gaza. Chanting “Stop starving Gaza now” and “Open the Rafah crossing,” demonstrators held signs displaying stark images of victims and slogans such as “End the siege in Gaza.”
The protest, which was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), united activists from diverse backgrounds and community members across Los Angeles who support ending the Zionist occupation of Palestine and stopping the genocide in Gaza.
“We are here at the Egyptian Consulate to demand that the Egyptian government stop normalizing its relationship with Israel and to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip,” said Tharwa Khalid, an organizer with the PYM.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has repeatedly denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza, calling it “an injustice that we cannot take part in,” but his actions speak louder than words. On August 7th, Israel’s Leviathan signed a $35 billion natural gas supply deal with Egypt.
Annually, Egypt exports around $347 million to Israel, while Israel's exports to Egypt are approximately $2.3 billion, according to The Observatory of Economic Complexity. Additionally, Israel’s trade with Egypt increased by 56 percent in 2023 and rose by 168 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, according to the Abraham Accords Peace Institute report.