CNN — Haraz Coffee House in Dearborn, Michigan, is usually teeming with customers eager for a taste of its delicious Yemeni coffee – but on Monday there wasn’t a single person in sight. The popular café on Michigan Avenue was closed, as its owner and employees participated in a global strike calling for a ceasefire in the devastating war in Gaza. “Today is the day to put everything that matters in our lives aside to focus on the lives of those in Gaza and to call for an immediate ceasefire,” owner Hamzah Nasser told CNN. He closed all 12 locations of his cafés in Michigan, Kentucky, Texas, Illinois and California. Palestinian groups announced the global strike on Saturday, one day after the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The strike on Monday and Tuesday saw businesses temporarily close, employees call out of work, consumers refrain from shopping and students skip classes. The call to strike was honored in communities across the world, including many in the United States. More than 270 businesses closed on Monday in the Chicago area alone, according to the Coalition for Justice in Palestine , a local activist organization. Businesses taking part included fitness studios, auto repair shops, salons and private schools. States across the country, from New York to Texas to California, also saw businesses close. Meanwhile, an untold number of Americans took to social media to say they would call out of work or refrain from making purchases. Those who promoted the strike include Palestinian journalists Motaz Azaiza and Bisan Owda , who gained millions of followers on social media through their coverage of the war. “This strike is important because everyone is united in saying no and everyone is united in their support for […]