CHICAGO (IslamOnline) - Israeli Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon is expected to be in Chicago next week to attend and address the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities Tuesday morning.
Some 5,000 delegates representing Jewish organizations inside and outside the U.S. will be attending the gathering.
Arab, Muslim and human rights activists have been organizing efforts the past few weeks to protest Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories with a major rally in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel where the Assembly will be meeting.
Estimating the number of protestors expected to show at around 10,000, the Chicago-based Arab American Action Network and The Coalition for Justice in Palestine are among the major organizations organizing the rally against Sharon’s visit.
The Chicago Sun Times reports that Ariel Sharon will address the Assembly as early as 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, and that the U.S. State Department is working on security measures.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who will also attend the Assembly’s meeting, will be present on Monday evening at the University of Illinois’s Chicago Pavilion. U.S. President Bill Clinton and Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley will be attending the Monday evening event as well.
Being a head of the state, Barak’s security will be provided by the secret service, the newspaper said.
Television stations have been airing footage for the city’s preparation of the 5-day event. Concrete barricades have been moved into the area in order to tighten security amid escalating violence in the Middle East and mounting emotions in the Arab/Muslim community towards Israeli authority practices.
Most of the University buildings near to the UIC Pavilion will be evacuated around 2 p.m. Monday afternoon with some surrounding streets closed off.
Police officials have said they would not interfere with the rally as long as it stays peaceful.
Muslim and Arab group leaders said they would like to keep the demonstration peaceful and hope that other groups would not provoke them.
Other pro-Israeli groups are expected to show a solidarity demonstration on Sunday afternoon in front of the Hyatt.
Chicago’s Arab/Muslim community is estimated to be near 400,000 and has been one of the active communities across the country in organizing demonstrations supporting Palestinian rights.
