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Rally for Solidarity With Israel in Los Angeles
LOS
ANGELES, July 23 (IslamOnline) - U.S. Jewish organizations started a national strategy Sunday to drum up public sympathy for Israel by organizing the first of a series of rallies here that brought some 4,000 pro-Israel supports in front of the Jewish Federation.
Organizers of the event which took place at Wilshire Blvd., said the march was to show their support to the people of Israel and to send one collective message: "You are not alone."
Members of Los Angeles's Jewish community from throughout the state and Israel supporters and politicians gathered in the rally organized by over 60 organizations to regain the public relations offensive.
Organizers said they were expecting more than 10,000 participants to attend the rally that they expected to be the largest solidarity rally Los Angeles has seen in many years.
Nevertheless, the turnout was less than half the minimum expected. Police estimated 3,500 people were in the rally.
Participants carried banners, waved Israeli and American flags and chanted Jewish songs. "Americans for peace Now. Secure the dream," said one of the banners. "A time to Hate. A time for War, " said another.
Governor Gray Davis (D), Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn (D), Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, U.S. Reps. Brad Sherman (D) and Howard Berman were among the politicians who have attended the rally.
"In times of triumph and in times of tragedy, California has always stood with Israel," said Davis. "We must continue to support those who support the peace process.... We can no longer have cease-fires where one side ceases and the other side fires."
Politicians spoke harshly of what they called recent Palestinian "acts of terrorism" against Israeli civilians and children.
"The difference between us and our adversaries is that we protect our children," said Yaroslavsky. "Our adversaries use their children as cannon folder."
Ahmad Sakr, a member of the board of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California and president of the Foundation of Islamic Knowledge, denied the Israeli accusations that Palestinians use their children as shields in the battle.
"Nobody is telling them [youths] to go and die," said Sakr. "They are out of jobs, out of school, out of money and out of home. What do you expect from them, except they have nothing to defend themselves except pebbles in front of them."
In the meantime, Shimon Peres, Israeli Foreign Minister addressed the gathering by telephone from Israel pointing that Israel needs the support of Los Angeles Jews, home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the nation.
"We are going through trying times," he said. "But there is no room to lose our hope. We shall overcome. We shall overcome in the same way we did in the past, by being together, by seeing clearly our aims, by working ceaselessly to achieve them."
A group of Palestinians supporters, some of them from the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) participated in a peaceful demonstration while chanting "No Justice, No Peace."
They pumped placards saying "End Israeli Aggression" and "Zionism is Racism."
"We came out here simply to show the other side of the coin," said Ghaith Mahmood, a UCLA student. "It comes to a point where you realize this is not peace. This is surrender."
"They accuse Palestinians of using their children in the battle," said Asma Mohammad, another UCLA student. "Why don't they admit that they are killing them for no crime other than defending themselves and their rights?"
"What's about Mohammad Al-Dura and what's about the new born baby Iman? and what's about the children they kill every day since the tension has flared?" added Mohammad.
Fearing that Palestinians have been reaping propaganda benefits, the rally was part of national strategy by Jewish organizations to attract the public sympathy.
More than 600 people, most of them Palestinians were killed in 10 months because of the Israeli aggression.
However, there were about 60 people among the participants, including Jews and non-Jews, who shouted different points of views. Some supported an independent Palestinian state.
"We want the Jewish community to see another message, that Arabs and Jews are not enemies and that we have been misled by the peace process," said one of the participants.
A rally similar to Los Angeles's is planned to be held in New York in September.
With additional reporting by Sahar Kassaimah
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