A member of the U.S. Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, according to the Air Force and local authorities. Aaron Bushnell later died from his severe injuries, according to American sources. The man, identified as Aaron Bushnell, was recorded saying, “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their occupiers, it is not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal,” before igniting himself. The incident occurred around 1:00 PM local time.
Bushnell’s LinkedIn profile indicates he has been working in the U.S. Air Force since 2020, serving as a Client Systems Technician in the Information Technology Management and as a DevOps Engineer. According to the Economic Times, Bushnell was pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Software Engineering at the University of New Hampshire and was also looking for SkillBridge programs to transition his skills into the software engineering field. At the time of the incident, Bushnell was in military uniform and residing in San Antonio, Texas.
Before his self-immolation, Bushnell reportedly sent a message to the media stating, "Today, I plan to participate in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people." He had also streamed his self-immolation live on the platform Twitch, which later removed the video for violating guidelines. As he walked towards the embassy, Bushnell repeated, "I will not be complicit anymore in genocide. I am about to participate in an extreme act of protest.”
He was quickly extinguished by Secret Service officers and then transported by ambulance to a local hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead. The New York Times reported that the man, who was in military uniform, streamed the incident live online, shouting "Free Palestine... I will not be complicit anymore in genocide," before pouring a clear liquid on his body and setting himself ablaze.
Israeli embassies have been targets of ongoing protests against the war in Gaza. According to Actual, they viewed the soldier's actions as representing a disconnection between his generation and those that came before who continually ignored the U.S. foreign policy. The younger American generation, described as more aware and courageous, is questioning the imperial model adopted by their parents and grandparents. It seems that these youths no longer accept the issue of Judaism or the steadfast support of Israel despite numerous massacres committed in recent years.
The piece continued, stating, "The act of self-sacrifice demonstrates the despair and anger of this young man who undoubtedly found no answers to the absolute mandate provided by the elites and media in his country to Israel. The suffering must have been horrifying. They tried to save him after the sacrifice, but he died a few hours later."
