Posted on 04/07/2002 12:40:53 PM PDT by Democrats are liars
Thousands of Americans demonstrate in support of Israel
By Melissa Radler
NEW YORK - Tens of thousands of Americans demonstrated across the country today in support of the Jewish state and its efforts to protect its citizens.
Rallies held in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Cincinnati, Boston, and Miami brought together supporters calling for an end to suicide bombings.
In New York, thousands of people crowded into Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the UN two days after 2,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched down Times Square supporting Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. With crowds spilling out onto the street blocks away from the speakers' podium, the demonstration appeared to be the largest pro-Israel gathering here since the outbreak of the violence.
The crowd, many carrying pictures of terror victims, Israeli flags and signs praising the IDF and comparing Arafat to Osama bin Laden, repeatedly booed any mention of the UN and calls made among world leaders for Israel to show restraint.
The rally included a multi-denominational group of rabbis led by the president of the Coalition for Jewish Concerns-Amcha, Rabbi Avi Weiss. The group recited Psalms and urged American Jews to unite behind Israel.
"Israel's fight is America's fight, and America's fight is Israel's fight," said Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY).
Calling on Bush to give Israel greater latitude to pursue its war on terror, Schumer said, "Yes, work for peace, but first let Israel finish the job and wipe out terror. Let Israel defend herself and then help the cause of peace."
The IDF, which members of the crowd said has been maligned by the media and international community as a Goliath fighting the Palestinians' David, was lauded at the New York rally.
Iyar Semel, who said he served as a military liaison to the West Bank during his three years of service, said, "This was is not about land. This is a war about values and the right to exist."
Semel told the crowd: "Be proud of your army in Israel. Walk with your head up high."
Speak for yourself,this Christian would be glad to fight for Israel and the Holy Land.
The reason we're in Israel's way right now is that Bush has determined that her actions aren't helpful either to America's best interests or overall peace in the Middle East. If we're going to continue to have close ties with Israel, she has to accept the fact that when her interests and our interests diverge we will pressure her, just as she pressures us.
The President's post 9-11-02 speech did say we would root out terrorists and those who harbor them, wherever they are.
And he's doing that in a way that is consistent with his duty to protect America first. Bush's concerns (and America's concerns) are wider than the Middle-East.
How sad that your last friendship was left back in the school yard.
Among intellectually honest people, a gratuitous attack on a person making an argument is not considered a rebuttal of his argument.
I made no personal attack upon you, but merely responded to your claim that the only friendships are back on the school Play ground. I sincerely do feel sorry for you if you have had no friend since school days.
All nations, including Israel, should always do what they need to survive.
I made no personal attack upon you, but merely responded to your claim that the only friendships are back on the school Play ground.
What I said was that one couldn't compare relations between countries to relations between kids on school yard playgrounds. Kids (and adults) have friends. Nations have interests. If relations between countries were as simple as relations between friends, we wouldn't use satellites to photograph the occupied territories for signs of new building in the settlements (as we do) and Israel wouldn't employ American citizens like Jonathan Pollard as spies. What I was talking about in my earlier post is that friendship analogies are misplaced when talking about relations between countries, and that's true even when the countries are allies, as in the case of the U.S. and Israel.
Myth One: that the whole story of the formation of the Jewish people and homeland is nothing more than myth and that there is no evidence that the Jews were ever slaves in Egypt, that Moses lead them out or that Joshua ever took over Palestine (Canaan) from the earliest Palestinians, the Phillistines. Myth two: that the Palestinian Arabs Moslems ever held portions of the historic lands in Palestine as a unified group in the area.
What amazed me about these theories is that neither of the professors cited any evidence at all to back their theories, but merely said that both were true as far as archeology and anthropology are concerned. That was news to me, and I don't believe it, but I worry that our children in college are learning this stuff.
LOL...you are quite the comedian.
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