The municipality of Jericho inaugurated a new street on Sunday, named after the American Air Force pilot who set himself on fire in protest of the war in Gaza.
In a ceremony held in Jericho, one of the streets in the city was named after Aaron Bushnell, who set himself on fire two weeks ago in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington while shouting "free Palestine" and that he "will not be an accomplice to genocide."
Bushnell even live-streamed his self-immolation on the social media platform Twitch. A few hours after being taken to the hospital, Bushnell died of his injuries.
At a ceremony held in Jericho on Sunday, the mayor of Jericho, Abdul Karim Sidr, told the crowd that "Bushnell sacrificed everything for the Palestinians. We did not know him, and he did not know us. We had no social, economic, or political ties. What we share is a love for freedom and the desire to stand against these attacks on Gaza."
Jericho City Council member Amani Rayan told The Guardian, “He [Bushnell] sacrificed the most precious thing, whatever your beliefs. This man gave all his privileges for the children of Gaza.”
He rejected the argument that Bushnell committed suicide due to mental illness. “He was a soldier who with his last breath, despite the pain, shouted ‘free Palestine’. This means he was clear to the depths of his being about why he was doing it.”