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![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/oaklandside.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_1602.jpg\")
Protesters gathered near a ship at the Port of Oakland on Fri. Nov. 3, 2023. Credit: Eli Wolfe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Your support is powering our newsroom! <\/strong>Thank you for supporting The Oaklandside and being a part of our community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This story was updated on Nov. 4 with more information about the ship Cape Orlando.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over 100 protesters converged on the Port of Oakland Friday morning to rally for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the past three weeks, Israeli forces have been carrying out military actions in the Gaza Strip, home to roughly two million Palestinians. These actions have come in response to an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel and the taking of 240 hostages. All of these attacks and military actions have resulted in civilian deaths, displacement, and terror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Protest organizers with the Arab Resource Organizing Center<\/a> said that a ship docked at the port, the Cape Orlando<\/a>, is helping deliver military supplies to Israel. Shortly after 9 a.m., some protesters entered port property and attempted to climb aboard the ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A small group of Oakland police and Coast Guard officers responded to the protests but no arrests were reported. \u201cSo far there has been no disruption to port operations and no impact on the flow of commerce at the Oakland Seaport,\u201d port spokesperson Marilyn Sandifur said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/oaklandside.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Block-the-Boat-Isreal-Ship-11-3-23_20231103_B81I4770.jpg\")
Protesters say a ship docked at the Port of Oakland is involved in supplying military equipment to Israel. Credit: Amir Aziz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a military vessel that is shipping weapons to Israel,\u201d said Wael Vuhaissy, who was taking part in the rally. \u201cWe\u2019re here to disrupt that.\u201d Vuhaissy said AROC was tipped off by port workers \u201cwho had the conscience to not want to be part of\u201d the war. He said he was motivated to take part in Friday\u2019s protest because his cousin\u2019s family was killed in an Israeli airstrike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer Hunter Schnabel, said the ship is part of the Department of Defense Maritime Administration, an agency that moves military supplies around the world. However, he could not confirm whether it\u2019s scheduled to ship supplies to Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the federal Department of Transportation Maritime Administration<\/a>, the agency that operates the ship, the Cape Orlando is currently in service and was used to ship military supplies to U.S. forces in Iraq in the early 2000s and more recently to conduct other shipments and take part in training exercises. It is part of the Defense Department\u2019s ready reserve fleet<\/a> of cargo ships used to move supplies to war zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schnabel said that Coast Guard staff who responded to the protest were there to ensure safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Late on Friday, the Cape Orlando left the Port of Oakland and sailed out of the Bay. As of Saturday morning, the ship was cruising northward<\/a> off of the Sonoma County coast, according to a vessel-tracking website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Protesters told The Oaklandside that they believe the ship is supposed to be headed to Tacoma, Washington where it will pick up military supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A video<\/a> posted last year on the U.S. Army\u2019s website shows the Cape Orlando being used to transport military vehicles from the Port of Oakland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since Oct. 7, Bay Area residents have gathered at vigils<\/a> to mourn the Hamas assault on Israel that killed approximately 1,400 people<\/a> and to demand that Hamas release hostages it abducted. Large protests have also been held in San Francisco<\/a>, Oakland<\/a>, and across the U.S. and world<\/a>, calling for Israel to cease or pause military operations in Gaza, including air strikes that have killed approximately 9,000<\/a> people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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ELI WOLFE<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
eli@oaklandside.org<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli Wolfe reports on City Hall for The Oaklandside. He was previously a senior reporter for San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight, where he had a beat covering Santa Clara County\u2019s government and transportation. He also worked as an investigative reporter for the Pasadena-based newsroom FairWarning, where he covered labor, consumer protection and transportation issues. He started his journalism career as a freelancer based out of Berkeley. Eli\u2019s stories have appeared in The Atlantic, NBCNews.com, Salon, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. Eli graduated from UC Santa Cruz and grew up in San Francisco.More by Eli Wolfe<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
DARWIN BONDGRAHAM<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
darwin@oaklandside.org<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before joining The Oaklandside as News Editor, Darwin BondGraham was a freelance investigative reporter covering police and prosecutorial misconduct. He has reported on gun violence for The Guardian and was a staff writer for the East Bay Express. He holds a doctorate in sociology from UC Santa Barbara and was the co-recipient of the George Polk Award for local reporting in 2017. He is also the co-author of The Riders Come Out at Night, a book examining the Oakland Police Department’s history of corruption and reform.More by Darwin BondGraham<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Activists said a ship docked in Oakland will carry military supplies headed for Israel. by\u00a0Eli Wolfe\u00a0and\u00a0Darwin BondGraham Nov. 3, 2023, 1:00 p.m. (oaklandside.org) Your support is powering our newsroom! Thank you for supporting The Oaklandside and being a part of our community. This story was updated on Nov. 4 with more… Continue reading
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