USA: A group of politicians express their support for Israel and its right to use force to protect itself, as pro-Palestinian protesters hold a counter demonstration nearby

Record ID: 401287

  • Title: USA: A group of politicians express their support for Israel and its right to use force to protect itself, as pro-Palestinian protesters hold a counter demonstration nearby
  • Date: 14th July 2014
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JULY 14, 2014) (REUTERS) VIEW OF PRESS CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF POSTER DEMONSTRATING TYPE OF ROCKETS HAMAS HAS CAPABILITY OF LAUNCHING CONGRESSMAN ELIOT ENGEL, RANKING MEMBER OF HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE STEPPING TO PODIUM JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONGRESSMAN ELIOT ENGEL, RANKING MEMBER OF HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTE
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA3FTJOWIXGBPNXZXT53MTDDIMG
  • Story Text: Politicians in New York held a press conference on Monday (July 14) to express their support for Israel and its air and naval bombardments of the Gaza Strip. Nearby a group of Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied against the press conference and denounced officials for supporting Israel.
    Congressman Eliot Engel, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said, "We stand here in solidarity with the people of Israel. We stand here to say that Democrats and Republicans all across the political spectrum support the U.S.-Israel alliance. And we're here as New Yorkers to say no to terrorism, no to Hamas."
    Palestinian militants resumed rocket attacks on Tel Aviv on Monday after a 24-hour lull in strikes on the Israeli commercial capital, and Israel kept up its air and naval bombardments of the Gaza Strip despite growing international pressure for a ceasefire.
    The military said it had shot down a drone from Gaza, the first reported deployment of an unmanned aircraft by Palestinian militants and a possible step up in the sophistication of their arsenal, although it was not clear whether it was armed.
    Israeli Ambassador Ido Aharoni, thanked the officials and said Israel is grateful for its friends and their support in New York.
    He added that Israel is ready to use more force if necessary.
    Asked how he thought the American public would respond to a larger scale ground assault in Gaza - he said that remains to be seen.

    "It's difficult to anticipate how Americans will react if we have to escalate the confrontation on the ground. What I can say is that we are prepared to deal with any situation, which is our duty as a government, as an army, to give thought to all the possibilities," Aharoni told Reuters.
    Palestinian rocket attacks have been regularly intercepted but more than half a dozen Israelis have been wounded since the start of the week-old offensive. Gaza health officials say Israeli air strikes have killed 170 Palestinians, most of them civilians.
    In a park across from City Hall, where the press conference was held, a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to disrupt the press conference by chanting.

    "We're basically ashamed of the New York City Councilmen standing with Israel. How could they stand with the government that is bombing Gaza right now as we speak and killed over 170 civilians, women and children," Sayal Kayed, the president of American Muslims for Palestine's New Jersey chapter, who helped organize the rally, said.
    As the crowd grew louder, they spoke about their opposition to Zionism.

    "The Zionist regime is comparable to the Nazis and I wish, I just wish there was a way it could be reverted back to the way it was 50 years ago," Abram Amet said.
    Jewish protesters were also amidst the group, holding signs that identified their religion and their opposition to Israel.
    One woman named Illit, said "We want to stop the bombing right away, that's number one. Number two is to stop the occupation, which is part of this whole issue."
    Israel did not carry out a threat to step up attacks against rocket-launching sites it said were hidden among civilian homes in the town of Beit Lahuiya after urging residents there to leave. A U.N. aid agency said around a quarter of the town's 70,000 residents had fled.
    But the persistent rocket fire has disrupted life in major cities, paralyzed vulnerable southern towns and triggered Israeli mobilization of troops for a possible Gaza invasion if the Palestinian rockets persist.
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