Israel's right to defend itself stressed by Eric Fingerhut Staff Writer Washington Jewish Week http://washingtonjewishweek.com April 18, 2002 During what organizers called the largest American demonstration on behalf of Israel since its founding, speaker after speaker emphasized Monday that the Jewish state is the United States' best friend in the Middle East and that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks. More than 100,000 people came to the Capitol for the rally on Monday to show their solidarity with Israel. "Israel has joined the mountains of Afghanistan as the frontline in the war against terrorism, and we are here to join them in the foxhole they are in," said Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations chair Mort Zuckerman, one of many speakers to draw a parallel between the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and the repeated suicide bombings in Israel. Some speakers noted that on a percentage basis, Israel has lost more people to suicide bombers and other attacks in the past 20 months than did the United States on Sept. 11, while rally participants held signs like "For Israel, 9/11 is 24/7" and "On 9/11, who danced?" Planned in less than a week and with tight security, the rally was designed to express support for President George W. Bush's war on terrorism as well as for Israel. While many backed Bush's policies of striking back against terrorism and isolating Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the two dozen or so rally speakers rarely mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. One highlight for many in the crowd, though, was a speech by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Sharon recently named a spokesperson. Netanyahu began by praising Bush, stating that "no greater friend of Israel has ever been in the White House." He then argued, as he did in remarks delivered on Capitol Hill last week, that the only way to protect against terrorism is to destroy it. The former prime minister also alluded to a subject that was -- other than a speech by Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior -- not prominently addressed at the rally, telling "those in Europe" that "history's shame will once again fall on you" for the resurgence of anti-Semitism in that area. Natan Sharansky, Israeli minister of housing and construction and a former Soviet refusenik, remembered the December 1987 Washington rally for the freedom of Soviet Jewry and its contribution to the eventual fall of the Iron Curtain, adding that Monday's event was "no less critical to Jewish survival." Sharansky also criticized Arafat, and explained the difference between terrorism and Israel's invasion of Jenin. That West Bank city, he said, housed dozens of terrorists -- "every house was a fortress" -- and Israel, instead of using heavy artillery, went "house to house" capturing terrorists in order to "save the lives of hundreds and hundreds of civilians." Noting the day "will be remembered in the history of American Jewry," Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said that "we owe it to [the New York fire and police departments and the Israeli security services] to finish the job" of fighting terrorism throughout the world. Among the most well-received speakers at the rally were Christians. Christian radio talk show host Janet Parshall, representing the National Association of Religious Broadcasters, told the crowd that "we, Christians and Jews together ... will never, never waver ... [or] vacillate in our support of Israel." Noting that Israelis had rallied for the United States on Sept. 11, conservative commentator William Bennett said that Israel "is not asking [the U.S.] to fight for it," but "only asking to be left alone fight its own war on terrorism." Sister Rose Thering, president of the National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel, said that "never before have Jews needed the support of Christians as they need that support today," finishing her speech by exclaiming "Am Yisrael chai now and forever." The only speaker at the 3 1/2 hour rally not received warmly on the hot afternoon was Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. Speaking as the Bush administration's representative, Wolfowitz, known as a strong supporter of Israel, was booed and jeered by portions of the crowd when he said that Israelis are not the only victims in the Middle East. "Innocent Palestinians are suffering and dying in the Middle East as well ... and it is critical to acknowledge that fact," said Wolfowitz as rally goers chanted "No double standards" and "Arafat must go." He was interrupted again when he referred to "those who champion the cause of independent Palestine," before adding "stopping terror is the most important thing you can do to serve the Palestinian cause." He received cheers near the end of his lengthy speech when he said, "Let us conclude." But Wolfowitz also said that suicide bombers are the "single greatest obstacle to recognizing a Palestinian state," affirming that "terror must end" and "hatred of Israel must end." Josh Schoef of the District thought Wolfowitz was "pretty wishy-washy [on the subject of] who's responsible for the situation in Israel" and was booed because he did not explain the reasons why many innocent Palestinians have been killed -- some have, for instance, been "caught in the crossfire" in battles between the Israeli military and Palestinian gunmen. Another rally goer was heard saying those jeering Wolfowitz were wrong, pointing out that the deputy defense secretary is the administration's strongest Israel supporter. Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency he believed the booing was limited and was predominantly a knee-jerk reaction to hearing the words "Palestine" or "Palestinian state." "Frankly, it was not carefully crafted to avoid that," Hoenlein said of Wolfowitz's speech. "People have to understand how to speak at a rally. That address at a different forum would have had a very different reaction." Politicians from both sides of the aisle and both political parties addressed the crowd, including House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) and House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas). Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) also spoke, urging Secretary of State Colin Powell to "insist to the Arab nations that they stop the financial reward and the legitimizing of homicide bombing." But the most popular politician seemed to be one no longer in office, Rudy Giuliani. The former New York mayor recalled the help and support he received from Israeli government officials after the Sept. 11 attack, and emphasized that the Christian holy sites in Jerusalem have never been treated better than since they have been under Israeli control. "Our desire for peace must not overwhelm our common sense," said Giuliani. "There is no moral equivalence between Israel and the Palestinian Authority." As the crowd started to thin and demonstrators made their way back to their buses -- which had let many participants off on the highway because of a traffic jam at the RFK Stadium parking lot -- the final speakers of the day were victims of terrorism in Israel. Mark Sokolow, a survivor of the World Trade Center attack and injured, along with his family, by a Palestinian suicide bomber in January, emphasized that "Israel's enemies are America's enemies" and "Israel's war is America's war." And Rabbi Seth Mandell -- a former Silver Spring resident whose 13-year-old son, Koby, was killed last year -- said he misses his son every Shabbat when he sees Koby's friends greet each other at synagogue. Just as important as what the speakers said on Monday, noted participants, was that so many people had turned up for the rally. "Numbers count," said Barry Bryer of New York City, noting that all denominations of American Jewry had joined together. ---------- Washington Jewish Week editor Debra Rubin contributed to this article. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This story was published on Thu, Apr 18, 2002