(Updated Tuesday Morning) Police report that more than 200,000 persons from all over the United States and Canada turned out for yesterday’s Israel solidarity rally in Washington. It was the largest pro-Israel rally in the history of North American Jewry, and as one speaker commented, “More people are here today, than attend US presidential inaugurations.”
Among the notables that addressed the record-breaking crowd were former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Minister of Housing and Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky, US senators and congressman, as well as clergymen from different faiths. One theme of the rally, reflected in the messages of those speaking and on the homemade signs held by the crowd, was, “We are committed to the battle against global terrorism.\" One sign read, Arafat = Bin Laden.
Here are some notable quotes from speakers at the rally:
Former New York Mayor, Rudolph Guliani: “Let’s Be Clear, there is no moral equivalence between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority…Israel and the Palestinian Authority are different; Israel is a nation based on law and democracy while the Palestinian Authority harbors terrorism… Peace must be based on realism not romance, on security and not terrorism… The desire for peace must not overwhelm our common sense, otherwise we will fail to achieve peace.”
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rabbi Michael Melchior: “The war we are fighting is one for our homes and our families. It is a war for our freedom, but more than that it is a war for our civilization. Today we face an enemy that has declared civilization as its enemy. If terrorism is not defeated in Israel, it will threaten countries all over the world.”
Hugh Price, President of The Urban League: “We support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself against terrorism. Governments such as Israel who encounter terror, must be allowed to root out terror.”
New York Governor, George Pataki: “It is the Israelis who are protecting the religious freedoms of all the great world religions in Jerusalem. Jerusalem must remain the eternal, undivided capital of Israel and the Jewish people.”
Also addressing the large crowd were parents of Israeli terror victims, as well as survivors of Arab terror attacks. Organizers stressed that the planning for the event got underway less than two weeks ago and the unprecedented turnout was a definitive statement that American Jewry stands behind the State of Israel.
Among the notables that addressed the record-breaking crowd were former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Minister of Housing and Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky, US senators and congressman, as well as clergymen from different faiths. One theme of the rally, reflected in the messages of those speaking and on the homemade signs held by the crowd, was, “We are committed to the battle against global terrorism.\" One sign read, Arafat = Bin Laden.
Here are some notable quotes from speakers at the rally:
Former New York Mayor, Rudolph Guliani: “Let’s Be Clear, there is no moral equivalence between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority…Israel and the Palestinian Authority are different; Israel is a nation based on law and democracy while the Palestinian Authority harbors terrorism… Peace must be based on realism not romance, on security and not terrorism… The desire for peace must not overwhelm our common sense, otherwise we will fail to achieve peace.”
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rabbi Michael Melchior: “The war we are fighting is one for our homes and our families. It is a war for our freedom, but more than that it is a war for our civilization. Today we face an enemy that has declared civilization as its enemy. If terrorism is not defeated in Israel, it will threaten countries all over the world.”
Hugh Price, President of The Urban League: “We support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself against terrorism. Governments such as Israel who encounter terror, must be allowed to root out terror.”
New York Governor, George Pataki: “It is the Israelis who are protecting the religious freedoms of all the great world religions in Jerusalem. Jerusalem must remain the eternal, undivided capital of Israel and the Jewish people.”
Also addressing the large crowd were parents of Israeli terror victims, as well as survivors of Arab terror attacks. Organizers stressed that the planning for the event got underway less than two weeks ago and the unprecedented turnout was a definitive statement that American Jewry stands behind the State of Israel.