Standing for Israel in the Streets

On the evening of September 2, dozens of Jewish supporters of Israel gathered across the street from the Israeli Consulate in New York City. They called upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “just say no to demands for more concessions from Israel that will continue to endanger the lives of Jews throughout Israel.” Organized by Helen Freedman of Americans For A Safe Israel, the demonstration came at the end of the first round of direct peace talks between Prime Minister Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House.

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, met with Abbas and Netanyahu for 90 minutes, and the two leaders pledged to work together to maintain security and to reiterate their goal of a two-state solution. The three-way meeting was “long and productive,” Mr. Mitchell said, adding that the leaders pledged to work in “good faith” and with “seriousness of purpose.” He said Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas then went off on their own for a one-on-one meeting, which may have been designed to build trust between the two leaders. There were no notetakers or translators in either of the meetings.

The U.S. sponsored peace talks come on the heels of the heinous murder of four Jews in the Hebron region on August 31st. Talya and Yitzchok Imas, Kochava Even-Chaim, and Avishai Shindler were gunned down in cold blood by Hamas terrorists at the Bani Naim junction just south of Hebron. This was followed by yet another drive-by shooting on Route 60 between the Rimonim Junction and the Jewish community of Kochav HaShachar in the Binyamin region of Samaria, which left Rabbi Moshe Moreno and his wife Shira moderately wounded. A Fatah cell calling itself the “Al-Namir” cell of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack, as did Hamas.

AFSI coordinator Helen Freedman stated: ”It’s all very well for the ‘Quartet’ led by President Obama to decide that ‘peace’ must come to the Israeli-Arab situation within the next year, but what are the Arabs saying? And what are they doing? Where is the control of anti-Israel terror and incitement?” Holding aloft Israeli flags and signs saying, “No Negotiations With Terrorists: Just Say No,” “Bibi: Trust in Hashem, Not Them,“ and “No Palestinian State,” the demonstrators braved the oppressive 97 degree New York City heat as they chanted, “Jewish blood is not cheap” and “They kill and we build.”

“We need a president that understands the ideology of radical Islam,” declared Madeline Brooks, the Manhattan chapter head of ACT for America, as she addressed the demonstrators.

These four innocent Jews were tragically murdered because there were no security checkpoints and that was ordered at the behest of President Obama. We need to seize the moment to educate our fellow citizens about the pernicious nature of jihad.

Also addressing the gathering was New York radio personality and longtime Jewish activist, Charlie Bernhaut who said:

If you want to see a real terrorist up close, just look at Mahmoud Abbas. His links with Palestinain terrorist organizations are numerous and legendary. He is a Holocaust denier and rabid Jew hater. Clearly, the creation of a Palestinian state will represent an existential threat to Israel’s survival because it will become a terrorist state under the leadership of Hamas.

Susan Kone, a GOP candidate for the congressional seat in New York’s 8th district said: “There is never a justification for the intentional murder of innocents and my deepest sympathies go to the families of the four Jews who were murdered by Hamas terrorists.”

“Why can’t we have a prime minister of Israel who is proud of being a Jew and who has a sense of honor?” asked Rabbi David Algaze of Forest Hills, Queens. “Who even entertains the notion of proposing territorial compromise and the division of the holy city of Jerusalem when four precious Jewish lives have been snuffed out?” he continued. Concluding on a sober note, he intoned, “No appeasements, no negotiations, no peace with those who seek our destruction and no to charades orchestrated by Washington.”