Rage Against the Machine take to Twitter to rail against Israel's oppression of Palestinians

Chart-topping LA rock band Rage Against the Machine have condemned Israeli violence in East Jerusalem and at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in a tweet that was widely shared by Palestinians and fans alike. 

Asserting their support for the Palestinian people, the Grammy-winning band decried Israel's "brutal" occupation.

"The violence and atrocities we are witnessing in Sheikh Jarrah, the Al-Aqsa compound and Gaza are a continuation of decades of Israel's brutal apartheid and violent occupation of Palestine," the band wrote on Twitter.

"We stand with the Palestinian people as they resist this colonial terror in all its forms. #FreePalestine"” they continued. 

Twitter Post

The band's tweets were accompanied by an image of protests outside the Al-Aqsa mosque. 

The leftist, anti-authoritarian and revolutionary band are well-known for their outspoken support of immigration rights and opposition to US foreign policy. 

While some social media users were irritated with the band's political stance, many others were surprised that people were not aware of the band political leanings given the nature of their songs. 

"People... surprised that Rage Against the Machine supports Palestine. How do people consistently not absorb any of that band's incredibly obvious politics? They literally recorded themselves screaming their thoughts about this stuff for years," wrote one Twitter user. 

Rage Against the Machine join a number of other well-known public figures who have spoken out against Israeli oppression and in favour of Palestinian rights. 

Actor Mark Ruffalo, football pundit Gary Lineker, and singer-songwriter Halsey, have all taken to social media to speak out in support of Palestinians. 

Read more: Fighting Israel's erasure of Palestinian identity in Jerusalem

Ongoing Israeli airstrikes have killed 83 people in Gaza, including 17 children and seven women. A further 487 have been wounded.

In Israel, six people have been killed as a result of Hamas rocket attacks, including a soldier, three women, and two children. Dozens of Israelis have also been wounded.

The escalation in the conflict was sparked by Israel's plans to forcibly expel residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and violent attacks on protesters and worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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