Group rallies to support Israel, opposes negotiations with Hamas
Attendees carry Israeli flags at a rally organized by Michigan for Israel. | Kyle Davidson
A group of around 25 people gathered on the steps of the Michigan Capitol on Thursday in a show of support for Israel amid the nation’s ongoing campaign in Gaza.
Tamara Poberesky described Michigan for Israel, which sponsored the event, as a group of immigrants from the former Soviet Union who organized in support of Israel, later telling the Advance that the group also had local supporters, both Jewish and non-Jewish.
Speakers voiced concerns of rising antisemitism with the U.S., and spoke out against demonstrations in U.S. cities and on college campuses.
The Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization which supports Israel, reported it had seen a 361% increase in antisemitic incidents between the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel and and Jan. 7, 2024. These incidents included physical assaults, vandalism, verbal or written harassment and rallies that included antisemitic rhetoric, expressions of support for terrorism against Israel or opposition to zionism, the belief in self-determination and statehood for Jewish people in Israel.
However, pro-Palestinian organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace have pushed back against groups defining anti-Zionism as antisemitic, arguing that criticizing the Zionist movement and Israeli policies is no different from criticizing any other ideology or the policies of any other nation state.
Since the Oct. 7 surprise attack from Hamas killed 1,189 people in Israel, who were mostly civilians, more than 37,000 people have been killed in Gaza in retaliation by Israel, with at least 86,429 people injured, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
At the event, Victor Fey of West Bloomfield encouraged Jewish people to unite against hatred and protect their safety within legal confines.
“We can debate whether Israel is overly nationalistic, overly conservative, overly militaristic, or overly religious. But one thing is not for debate: When Jews are united, we can withstand virtually everything,” Fey said.
He encouraged attendees to vote for politicians and parties who have taken action to support Jewish people, with all other issues becoming secondary or tertiary.
Other speakers criticized the Biden administration for providing aid to Gaza, attempting to negotiate with Hamas for the release of hostages and argued the Biden administration was dragging its feet on providing weapons to Israel.
“We are urging you to call your district representatives and ask for immediate actions to stop negotiations with Hamas, to cut humanitarian aid and utilities to Gaza, and to provide consistent and sufficient military aid to Israel in joint effort to destroy a common enemy and bring peace to the whole region and the whole world,” Poberesky said.
The Biden administration has previously challenged claims from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it had withheld weapons and ammunition, with the administration noting only one shipment of bombs had been withheld, according to a report from BBC.
According to a report from Axios, the shipment, which was paused by the administration over concerns of Israel’s invasion of Rafah, remains paused as of Wednesday.
The post Group rallies to support Israel, opposes negotiations with Hamas appeared first on Michigan Advance.
