Tens of thousands of people attended a rally in Washington, DC, to express solidarity with Israel in its fight against Hamas and to condemn anti-Semitism.
Tuesday’s “March for Israel” took place on the National Mall under heavy security, with high-ranking members of Congress addressing a crowd of people waving the flags of the United States and Israel.
Many held signs calling on the Palestinian armed group Hamas to release the at least 200 people captured in their October 7 surprise attack, which Israeli authorities say killed more than 1,200 people.
Israel’s response – weeks of relentless attacks on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which officials say have killed more than 11,300 people – has revealed deep divisions in the United States, the most ardent supporter of Israel.
At the top of the mall, top congressional Democrats – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jefferies – gathered on stage with Republican Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives. , and Senator Joni Ernst of central Iowa. . They joined hands as Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, chanted: “We stand with Israel.”
But behind this projection of unity, Democrats and the United States itself are deeply divided over Israel’s policies and its treatment of the Palestinians.
The country has seen weeks of largely pro-Palestinian protests amid growing calls for a ceasefire and President Joe Biden has toned down some of the unqualified solidarity with Israelis from the first weeks of the war for call for more restraint.
Hamas, a target
A succession of speakers took the stage to condemn the Hamas attack and what they called the virulent spread of anti-Semitism internationally.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the crowd via video from the Western Wall in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. After “the greatest massacre since the Holocaust,” he said, “let us cry together, never again.”
“No one will break us,” he promised. “We will rise again…There is no cause greater and more just than this.” »
Rachel Goldberg, whose 23-year-old son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was kidnapped by Hamas after the group attacked a music festival, also spoke to the crowd, noting that those captured were aged nine months to only 87 years old and were of different religions and nationalities.
“Our hearts are bruised and oozing with misery,” she said. “Why does the world accept that 240 human beings from almost 30 countries were stolen? »
Many protesters wore Israeli flags draped around their shoulders or held small Israeli flags in their hands, turning their anger on Hamas.
Banners and placards showed the names and photos of those held captive in Gaza, while crowds shouted: “Bring them home!”
Other signs read “Destroy Hamas” and “From the river to the sea, we support democracy.”
Security was tight, with trucks blocking access to the mall and police closely monitoring the area.
Melanie Lubin of Olney, Maryland, carried a flag that combined the stars and stripes with Israel’s blue and white Star of David.
Asked about the death toll in Gaza and criticism of the way Israel has carried out its military campaign, she said: “I think everyone is concerned about what is happening to Gaza and to civilians in Israel. Israel is doing its best. It’s a war. It was not Israel that started this war.
Mark Moore, a 48-year-old Christian pastor from Chicago, said he considers Israel “the only bastion of freedom” in the Middle East.
“I pray for peace… ensured by victory so that this endless cycle of violence does not continue,” he said.