He set himself on fire: Palestinian city names street after American soldier

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On February 25, Aaron Bushnell († 25) sat down in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC. The American soldier started a livestream on the social media platform Twitch in which he declared that he would “no longer participate in genocide”. He then shouted “Free Palestine” and set himself on fire. He died a few hours later in hospital.

Palestinians are now praising Bushnell for his actions, as the Guardian writes. He is a martyr who “sacrificed everything for the Palestinians,” said Abdul Karim Sidr, mayor of the Middle Eastern city of Jericho.

“The most valuable thing sacrificed”

‘We didn’t know him and he didn’t know us. There were no social, economic or political ties between us,” Karim Sidr explained to a small crowd on Sunday. “What unites us is the love of freedom and the desire to stand up against these attacks on Gaza.”

Then the mayor unveiled the new name of a street in his city: Aaron Bushnell Road. Named after the American soldier who “sacrificed the most valuable thing”. In Jericho they know for sure: “This man has given up all his privileges for the children of Gaza.”

“Decision of a mentally ill person”

Critics in the US have warned about what exactly is being done in Jericho: celebrating Aaron Bushnell. The self-immolation was the “decision of a mentally ill person” and should not be celebrated as a political protest.

Jericho city councilor Amani Rayan disagrees with the critics. ‘He was a soldier who, despite the pain, shouted ‘Free Palestine’ with his last breath. “That means that deep down he was clear about why he did it,” he is sure. (obf)

Source: Blick