Washington: US Airman Immolates Self Outside Israeli Embassy

Facts

• An active member of the US Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli embassy in Washington on Sunday.¹
• The act appeared to be in protest against Israel's bombardment of Gaza, which has reportedly killed about 30K Palestinians since conflict broke out after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.²
• In a video of the incident, the man, who identified himself as Aaron Bushnell, said: 'I will no longer be complicit in genocide.' He also argued that his ensuing act was minimal compared to Palestinian suffering.³
• After placing the recording device on the floor, Bushnell doused himself in an unidentified liquid and set himself alight. He repeatedly shouted 'Free Palestine' until he fell to the ground.³
• According to the US capital's fire department, members of the US Secret Service had already extinguished the flames before they arrived at the scene shortly before 1 p.m. local time. It added that Bushnell was rushed to the hospital with 'critical life-threatening injuries.'⁴
• While this is the first incident of its kind outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, a protestor set themselves alight last December outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.⁵

Sources: ¹I24news, ²Reuters, ³CNN, ⁴Al Jazeera and ⁵Forbes.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by WIN. By the airman's own admission, this was an extreme act of protest. His action stemmed from a misunderstanding of what's taking place in Gaza, and the reality that the tragedy and loss of life in this conflict is unavoidable. With Hamas vowing to wipe out Israel, Israel is the one fighting for its survival.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Independent. This dramatic act of protest underlines the growing unrest at Israel's attacks on Gaza. Close to 30K Palestinians have been killed, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still discussing launching a military operation into Rafah. This must end before more innocent lives are lost.