Israeli expats and left-wing American Jewish groups denounce Netanyahu, protesting premier’s visit to New York with blood-soaked effigy.
By World Israel News Staff
Left-wing Israeli expatriates living in the United States joined left-leaning Jewish American groups critical of the Israeli government to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to New York City Thursday, ahead of his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Netanyahu departed for New York early Thursday morning (Israel time), after having delayed his flight following a Hezbollah ballistic missile attack on central Israel earlier this week.
Prior to his arrival, a joint protest organized by left-wing Jewish groups was held in New York City, condemning the Israeli premier and calling for his removal from office.
The protest was organized jointly by a number of left-wing and left-leaning organizations, including the J Street lobby group, T’ruah, Israelis for Peace NYC, UnXeptable, New York Jewish Agenda, and Ameinu.
Demonstrators brought a blood-soaked effigy of the Israeli leader, complete with a Netanyahu mask and the slogans “End the War Now,” and “The Emperor Has No Clothes” scrawled across it.
Other protesters held signs, including some reading: “From the river to the sea, we all deserve equality,” inspired by the anti-Israel slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be a free,” which has come under fire over claims the slogan constitutes an antisemitic call for genocide.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a long-time far-left Jewish activist, was among the speakers who addressed protesters Thursday.
During his speech, Lander excoriated Netanyahu over the war against the Hamas terror organization and the escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, accusing the Israeli premier of pandering to Coalition partners including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
“Every day he indiscriminately bombs families in Gaza, and now in Lebanon; every day he empowers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir in their eliminationist efforts to displace Palestinians from their homes; every single day along with other racist authoritarians Modi, Orban and Trump, he is destroying the vision of human rights, peace and democracy that were at the heart of the founding of the United Nations.”