As the Mideast once again moved to the brink of war, more than 3,000 people jammed a rally at a Chicago hotel Thursday to express what one Jewish leader called their unqualified support for Israel.
But as a host of speakers told the crowd at the Hyatt Regency Chicago that Israel needed their backing during this time of crisis, there were clear reminders just outside of the tensions that continue to mount.
Small groups of Palestinian and Jewish demonstrators faced off, angrily shouting at one another while a cadre of Chicago police officers attempted to keep them apart. Police said four men who were part of the Palestinian contingent were arrested for disorderly conduct for allegedly pushing against police barricades.
Meanwhile, Arab community leaders gathered a block from the Hyatt to demand a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian-occupied territories. They also recounted how the tensions have brought life in the region to a standstill because Palestinians are afraid to even leave their homes.
The rally was one of dozens held around the country Thursday, a day on which Israeli helicopters fired on Palestinian facilities in the West Bank and Gaza in retaliation for the slaying of at least two Israeli soldiers by an angry mob of Palestinians.
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In New York 15,000 people gathered outside the Israeli consulate to denounce Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The rally was attended by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and her Republican opponent in the New York Senate race, U.S. Rep. Rick Lazio.
Conflicts in the Mideast have taken the lives of nearly 100 Israelis and Palestinians in the past two weeks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. About 2,000 people have been injured since violence erupted on Sept. 28 when Arabs protested a visit by right-wing Israeli leader Ariel Sharon to a contested Jerusalem shrine.
At the rally at the Hyatt, Steve Nasatir, president of the Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, which sponsored the gathering, said the Jewish community in Chicago had a responsibility to “proclaim in an unambiguous, clear, loud and strong way that we support the people of Israel.”
“We stand beside them in the same way we have stood with them through every crisis and every challenge,” he said. “We do that because we are connected to them through family, through Torah and an overarching sense of peoplehood that binds us together in a powerful way.”
The two-hour rally featured speeches by local rabbis and Jewish community leaders. Avraham Burg, speaker of the Israeli Knesset, addressed the group via satellite.
After the rally, representatives from the Arab community held a press conference one block away outside Tribune Tower. They told stories of personal tragedies of relatives living in the Palestinian-occupied territory and called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory.
Muna Abdallah, a 29-year-old business manager from Hickory Hills, said she lived in Palestine for 10 years and understands the tension between the Arabs and the Israelis.
“There are people who are dying everyday and they have been dying,” Abdallah said. “We need to stand together. As long as there are occupied forces in Palestine, Palestinians have no choice but to protest.”
Moham Salih, a Chicago dentist, said he is having a home built in Hebron and has family in the Goushzion settlement. His father is blocked by Israeli troops from getting to his farm, which is ready for the grape harvest, he said.
“Things are going to get worse before it gets better,” Salih said. “It’s been going on for thousands of years and it will go on until the day of judgment.”
Tami Warshawsky, of Deerfield said she attended the Israel solidarity rally, which was planned on Tuesday, to have the chance to be with the Jewish community. “We just thought it was very important to come and show our support for the peace process,” she said.
In New York, the rally stretched up six blocks of Second Avenue on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan. It was also attended by New York Gov. George Pataki, New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani and Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert.
“This afternoon we stand at one of the most critical junctures in the 52-year history of the State of Israel,” said Lazio. “This is an opportunity for us in a united way to tell the world, to tell America, that we stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel.”
The crowd’s cheers turned to boos when Clinton stepped up to the podium. Although Jewish voters favor Clinton roughly 2-1 one over Lazio, she lost support when she embraced Suha Arafat, wife of the Palestinian leader, during a visit to the Middle East. Clinton has called for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Raising her voice to make herself heard over the catcalls, Clinton repeated her criticism of the UN Security Council vote last week that condemned Israel for its use of force in trying to quell the Palestinian uprising.