Dozens of liberal American Jews on Monday demonstrated outside the Israeli occupation’s Embassy in Washington against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new extremist coalition, warning of the dangers it poses for U.S. Jewry and and “Israeli democracy”.
Organized by Americans for Peace Now, the protest was largely meant to support similar protests in the Israeli occupation state organized by its sister organization Peace Now.
“Our role here, similar to so many in the human rights world in Israel who are speaking out against the people in this government, is to speak out against the policies of the government and the actions they have already taken,” Americans for Peace Now CEO Hadar Susskind said, highlighting decisions already made regarding legalizing Israeli settlements and the demolitions in Masafer Yatta.
“The American Jewish community and our American political leaders need to recognize and acknowledge this is a different day and it can’t be the same old responses. It’s a new year. It’s a new government. We need new responses,” Susskind added.
“The attacks made against Reform and Conservative conversions could threaten the identity and the status of Jews who want to make aliyah from North America. We need to let them know that we can’t be ignored, that these movements are growing in Israel,” she said, adding that “the vast majority of North American Jews support the values of religious freedom, pluralism and equality.”
Recently, the Netanyahu declared that the Israeli settlers have exclusive right to occupy any part in Palestine.
For the religious status in Jerusalem, Ben Gvir, Israeli “Minister of national security”, stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque without any respect to the religious status of this Islamic place.
Abby Stein, a leading transgender activist who was raised in a Hasidic community, said: “I’ve spoken with many trans people who are afraid. It’s never been perfect, but now there are people in the government who are openly and clearly saying their mission is to make us disappear.”
It should be noted that there is a sharp conflict within the new extremist Israeli government and widespread external criticism internationally because of its announcement of racist measures and the enactment of laws to legitimize its crimes against the Palestinians on the one hand, and the racial discrimination between the Israeli settlers themselves on the other hand.
It is noteworthy that last December, Netanyahu’s government, which includes parties from the “Israeli far right”, took the constitutional oath in the Knesset, and proceeded to perform its tasks amid controversial plans and decisions, especially with regard to limiting the power of the judiciary and the control of the “Ministry of” National Security” headed by the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, extremist over the “Israeli police”.
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