Press Statement on Saturday Rally in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In advance of Saturday's pro-Hamas rally at Freedom Plaza, JCRC of Greater Washington Executive Director Ron Halber issued the following statement:

"The 'Free Palestine' demonstration on Saturday in Washington by anti-Israel organizations serves only to embolden Hamas and justify their terrorist actions. Participants are supporting an entity that orchestrated the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, murdering entire families, raping women, kidnapping the infirm and burning babies. Their own rally name denotes Israel's destruction.

"Israel has every right to protect its citizens from future attacks, which means the complete destruction of Hamas. If October 7 taught us anything, it's that Israel can not accede to calls for a ceasefire that would allow Hamas to claim victory and rebuild its stockpile of weapons for the next, inevitable attack on Israeli civilians. When Hamas' spokesman Ghazi Hamad says that Israel must be "removed," and that "We will do this again and again," believe him.

"Let's be clear, calls to free Palestine 'from the River to the Sea' are rooted in the belief that Israel should not exist and all Jews should be exterminated, as outlined in the charter of Hamas. They further disregard the 2005 Oslo Accords that saw Israel remove all settlers from the Gaza Strip and hand control of the land to the Palestine National Authority.

"Protesters should instead be outraged that Hamas hides among innocent Palestinians, operating out of residential buildings, hospitals and schools, putting civilians in the line of fire. They should be furious that Hamas prevents civilians from leaving targeted areas, blocks humanitarian aid from entering Gaza and holds 240 people hostage, including roughly 30 young children, a dozen Americans and many other foreign nationals.

"We applaud the Biden administration for its unyielding support of Israel and we're grateful to our many other allies throughout government who have pledged to stand against Hamas terrorists. We continue our calls for the unconditional surrender of Hamas and the safe return of all hostages."

Note to reporters: Mr. Halber is available for in-person interviews beginning today through the weekend. Please contact Alan Brody (info above) to arrange an interview.

About the JCRC of Greater Washington
The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Washington is the central community relations agency of the organized Jewish community, representing more than 100 organizations, institutions and synagogues in in our nation's capital, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. JCRC accomplishes this through their work in four pillars: government relations, Israel advocacy, inter-group relations, and social justice. Learn more at jcouncil.org.

SOURCE Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington

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