Thousands of protesters successfully blocked a commercial Israeli cargo vessel from docking and unloading goods in Oakland, California... The protest was staged in response to a call from Palestinian and South African unions to hold Israel accountable for what they allege are violations of Palestinians’ human rights - particularly during Israel’s latest offensive in the Gaza Strip... between 3,000 to 5,000 protesters, [took] part of a series of actions planned by U.S. and Canadian activists across North America’s west coast under the campaign “Block the Boat.” Similar protests will take place in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, on Wednesday, and later in Vancouver... Block the Boat targets Israel’s largest cargo shipping company, Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. If the entire series of port blockades are successful, it would effectively lock out Israeli commercial shipping from the west coasts of both the United States and Canada, activists said