Palestinian Town Honors US Airman Who 'Sacrificed Everything'

An American airman who shouted "Free Palestine" as he set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, last month has had a street named after him in a Palestinian town. Abdul Karim Sidr, the mayor of Jericho, said Aaron Bushnell "sacrificed everything" to support Palestinians, the Guardian reports. "We didn't know him, and he didn't know us. There were no social, economic, or political ties between us. What we share is a love for freedom and a desire to stand against these attacks," he said, referring to the Israeli offensive that has killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza.

The 25-year-old was still an active duty Air Force member when he self-immolated on Feb. 25, saying he would "no longer be complicit in genocide." He died in a hospital several hours later. Jericho city council member Amani Rayan rejects arguments that his act had more to do with mental illness than solidarity with Palestinians, reports the Guardian. "He was a soldier who with his last breath, despite the pain, shouted, 'Free Palestine,'" says Rayan, who grew up in Gaza and has dozens of relatives trapped there. "This means he was clear to the depths of his being about why he was doing it." (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)