Washington DC – Jeers erupted at a pro-Israel rally in Washington, DC, when political analyst Van Jones called for an end to the bombing of Gaza.
Jones had condemned anti-Semitism and expressed support for Israel in his remarks during the March for Israel, a demonstration that brought tens of thousands of demonstrators to the National Mall, a park in the heart of the US capital, on Tuesday.
But it was Jones’ proclamation that he was a “man of peace” that drew rumblings from the crowd.
“I pray for peace – no more rockets from Gaza and no more bombs falling on the people of Gaza. God, protect the children,” he said.
The first boos against him quickly turned into chants of “no ceasefire”. The crowd had gathered to support Israel’s war in Gaza and to call for the release of more than 200 prisoners held by the Palestinian group Hamas.
On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people. In response, Israel led a military offensive against Gaza, a small, densely populated Palestinian strip home to 2.3 million people. Israeli attacks have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians.
Tuesday’s demonstration follows a major protest by Palestinian rights advocates in Washington, DC, ten days earlier.
But the march attracted prominent members of the U.S. Congress from both major parties, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who both addressed the crowd.
“Calls for a ceasefire are outrageous,” Johnson said. His statement was met with new cries of “no ceasefire,” this time with approval.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also spoke at the rally. The same goes for John Hagee, a right-wing Christian pastor accused of fueling both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Hagee came under fire in 2008 after the re-emergence of an old sermon in which he described Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as a “hunter” sent by God to drive Jewish people to settle in Israel.
President Joe Biden’s administration was also represented at the rally by Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. envoy to combat anti-Semitism.
The broad ideological spectrum present at the protest highlighted the United States’ bipartisan support for Israel.
“Bring them home,” protesters chanted, referring to Gaza captives, as they waved Israeli and American flags.
Leading human rights groups have accused Israel of violating international law during the war and attacking civilian targets, including residential neighborhoods, hospitals and schools housing displaced people. United Nations experts have also warned of the risk of genocide against the Palestinian people.
Asked about the casualties in Gaza, many protesters expressed sympathy for the Palestinians, but they blamed the violence on Hamas, accusing the group of using civilians as “human shields.”
Many held signs proclaiming Israel’s border from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. The messages aimed to counter the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – what Palestinian rights advocates see as an ambitious call for freedom and equality.
Al Jazeera spoke to some protesters at Tuesday’s event. Here’s what they had to say:
Stu Weiss: “What profession? »
Stu Weiss, a protester from New Jersey, held a sign saying that the 1,200 Israelis killed on October 7 would represent 48,000 Americans relative to the population size.
Weiss said his message aims to make people think about the scale of the atrocities committed by Hamas. He added that Hamas is also responsible for Palestinian deaths in Gaza, saying the group had prevented people from fleeing to the south.
In reality, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced from northern Gaza, and Israel continued to bomb southern towns where it had asked residents to go. An estimated one in 200 Palestinians in Gaza has died.
Weiss said that, by the end of the conflict, he would like to see “Hamas gone and the Israelis living in peace with the Palestinian people.”
“They are taught to hate Jews and Israel,” he said of the Palestinians. Asked if Israel’s occupation of Gaza had contributed to the hostility in the conflict, Weiss replied: “What occupation?”
James McLaughlin: ‘They’ll come and get us next’
James McLaughlin, a protester from Philadelphia, said there can never be a cease-fire until Israel destroys Hamas.
“They are coming for the Jews. And then they will come after us – all of Western civilization. So, as a bulwark, Western civilization is the foundation of my faith. I totally stand with Israel,” McLaughlin told Al Jazeera.
He held up a sign that read: “Christians stand with Israel.”
Rima: “Israel is our land”
Rima, a protester who chose to identify herself only by her first name, carried a large green sign reading: “From the river to the sea, Israel is all you will see. »
“Israel is our indigenous land, and it will always be ours. That’s where the Jews come from. They were there before the Arabs. They were there before anyone else,” Rima told Al Jazeera.
Evan: “Hard to imagine a good result”
Evan, a protester who also wanted to be identified only by his first name, waved a large Israeli flag and stressed that Hamas started the war.
He expressed support for what he called Israel’s “right to defend itself.” He nonetheless expressed a gloomy outlook for the future as he pondered what would happen after the current conflict.
“It’s hard to imagine a good outcome, no matter what. Israel has probably created another generation of people who will hate them. And this is a consequence of the war. You can’t expect anyone who has lost a parent, a child, a loved one, a cousin – killed in something – to embrace or forgive,” Evan said.
“It’s unfortunate. But I can’t stay here and say to Israel, ‘You have to leave now.’
Minna Shezaf: The conflict is “terrifying”
Minna Shezaf, a protester from Washington, D.C., who has lived in Israel, said she was at the rally to express solidarity with Israel and praised Biden’s handling of the crisis as “admirable.”
Shezaf added that the conflict could take a “terrifying” turn if the armed group Hezbollah becomes more involved in the war.
The Lebanese group launches almost daily attacks against Israeli troops in support of Gaza. Israel, in turn, responded by bombing areas along its shared border with Lebanon.
Asked about the rising death toll in Gaza, Shezaf said: “It is terrible what Hamas is doing to the people of Gaza. This is a violation of human rights.
