This was a good weekend for Israel: not only there were no terrorist attacks or suicide bombings, but we saw major demonstrations in support of Israel in London and New York.

50,000 people attended a rally for Israel in Trafalgar Square and over 1 Million were present in the streets of New York.

Facing Anti-Semitism, Muslim fundamentalism, European appeasement, and the hyprocitical left, these supporters show that Israel will not go down without a fight. That's one of the reasons I created FactsOfIsrael.com - and if you are reading this, please do the same. Don't hesitate to stand up for Israel in your community: speak up if you hear any of the above groups attack Israel. If we all speak up, someone will hear us (by the way this brings up a philosophical question: if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, is it still the Jew's fault?)

For the full articles and links see below:

NY Jews rally for Israel
By MELISSA RADLER
http://www.jpost.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/Full&cid=1020337092738

NEW YORK – Half a world away from the suicide bombings, tourism drought, and economic crisis in Israel, Jewish day school children, synagogue members, Jewish war veterans, and police marching bands filled a mile-long stretch of Fifth Avenue yesterday for the 38th annual Salute to Israel Parade.

This year's parade, called "Israel and America, Now and Forever, United We Stand," brought together 60,000 marchers – including officials from the governor to city council members – hundreds of brightly-decorated floats, and throngs of spectators waving flags, singing Hebrew songs, and cheering for Israel.

"It's important for us to show our children that we identify with Israel," said Ricky Tadmor, educational director of the Dix Hills Community Center.
Tadmor led a group of nearly 400 students and parents, wearing matching blue-and-white T-shirts.

Sarah Reimer of the Midwood Jewish Community Center, said interest in the parade was so high that the center had its first waiting list in 30 years.
Among the hundreds of thousands of spectators who lined the streets to celebrate Israel's 54th anniversary was Elisheva Katschor, an Israeli expatriate who said she attends the parade every year. "I'm Israeli, and I support Israel's cause with all my heart," she said.

Further up the street, Allan Braunstein said that he decided to attend this year's parade, his first, late last week after the Senate and House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to adopt two pro-Israel resolutions.
"I wanted to come out to show the US legislators that we support them," he said.

While the mood of the parade was celebratory, with pro-Israel signs saying "Pray for Peace," and "Solidarity With Israel" replacing the anti-terror slogans common at most pro-Israel demonstrations, many participants cited Israel's war on terror and their sympathy for the victims of attacks when asked why they had come out to the parade.

"I'm here because there's a lot to salute about Israel," said City Councilman John Liu, the first Asian-American to be elected to the council. "I want to support Israel and denounce the senseless violence that's going on there. You can only sacrifice so much for peace."

Gov. George Pataki, who marched alongside former mayor Rudolph Giuliani, said, "Israel is under horrible attack by people who have no qualms about attacking children, and we have to stand with Israel more than ever."

US Sen. Charles Schumer compared the war on terror in the US and Israel, and said, "By showing solidarity with Israel, we are showing solidarity with America."

50,000 rally for Israel in Trafalgar Square
By Sharon Sadeh
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=160350&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0

LONDON - In one of the biggest-ever public gatherings organized by British Jewry, tens of thousands poured into London's Trafalgar Square yesterday afternoon for a pro-Israel rally.

Police said some 50,000 people attended the rally, where demonstrators waved Israeli and British flags and carried banners saying "Yes to Peace, No to Terror," and "Suicide bombers kill people and peace."

A small pro-Palestinian counter-demonstration, attended by 300 people, was held nearby. Two people at that rally were arrested for public order offenses. London police put stringent security measures in place, involving thousands of police officers deployed throughout the square and the surrounding streets.

Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the rally that Israel should never grant statehood to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, and said if a state were created under his leadership, it would not be friendly and peaceful, but a terrorist state.

"We have to debunk the myths created by the totalitarian regime of Arafat," Netanyahu told the cheering crowd. "Arafat must go because he did not turn out to be King Hussein, but Saddam Hussein."

British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who noted that the gathering was the largest in the history of British Jewry, said "Israel will not stand alone." The rally was also addressed by former Labor Party minister Peter Mandelson, and Conservative Party deputy leader and shadow foreign minister Michael Ancram. "The peace process in Northern Ireland," Ancram told the crowd, "taught us that peace cannot be imposed."

The Bishop of Oxford, Richard Harries, who also spoke at the solidarity gathering, was jeered by some in the crowd when he said that suicide bombings reflected a lack of hope on behalf of the Palestinians.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds were collected, mainly from the budgets of the United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA), the Jewish Agency, and Jewish National Fund, as well as from private contributions, to pay for the logistic and administrative needs of the operation.

Posted by David Melle
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