OAKLAND, 21 Dec. - (ANA) - Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Port of Oakland on Thursday at a public meeting of the port commission to demand an arms embargo on Israel.

 

The city’s port is under the same authority as the airport, where regular shipments of arms are shipped to Israel on FedEx commercial aircraft. Activists hope that raising awareness and speaking out will push local authorities to halt weapons shipments.

 

"The airport is being used to ship weapons to kill people," Felix Thomson, a local nurse and union member who attended the demonstration, told The New Arab.

 

“This is not in line with our values,” she said, noting that the city of Oakland was one of the first localities to issue a cease-fire resolution, and labour groups like hers have long advocated against war.

 

Moreover, she says that as a healthcare worker, she feels responsible to speak out for her counterparts in Gaza, whom she sees as targets of Israeli airstrikes; and as a Jew, she believes she has a "personal and moral obligation to be involved in this issue."

 

The growing advocacy against Oakland Airport's arms shipments to Israel follows an investigative report four months ago by the Palestinian Youth Movement detailing the weapons transfers on FedEx planes.

 

A report by PYM published in August noted that the airport is second only to Dallas-Fort Worth for such shipments, and could soon surpass the Texas hub if a new warehouse is approved.

 

The 15-page report, based on human rights investigations and on export data, has found that since January, at least 280 military cargo shipments via FedEx have departed from Oakland International Airport, with Nevatim Airbase in Israel as the final destination.

 

These shipments, supplied by Lockheed Martin, have included F-35 fighter jet components for carrying and releasing munitions and guided weapons.

 

More specifically, the report found that the shipments were consistently frequent (with only one week of a lull in transfers in six months); the materials delivered are wide-ranging, from lethal systems to small bolts; Nevatim is identified as the final destination for the materials; the shipments are coming from the Defence Logistics Agency in San Joaquín; and F-35s are confirmed to be used by Israel in Gaza.

 

So far, the city's mayor, Barbara Lee, has not addressed the activists' demands for an arms embargo; however, she has acknowledged that she is aware of them. Lee, while serving as a US representative, was one of the first lawmakers to call for a ceasefire on Gaza.

 

Thursday's demonstration at the port commission's public meeting drew more than 200 protesters from diverse backgrounds, including faith leaders, small business owners, union representatives, and government employees.

 

"This is a big public call. People are taking the call for arms embargo seriously," Dina Saadeh, a member of PYM, told TNA, noting Thursday's large turnout.

 

"This would set a precedent. People all over the world are calling for an arms embargo," she added. "People understand without an arms embargo, there's a genocide, even with the so-called ceasefire."   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/21 December 2025 - - -