WASHINGTON (JTA) — The leader of the Republican Party will appear at a rally calling for Jerusalem to remain united under Israeli rule.
Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, will be the keynote speaker at a May 23 rally in New York City’s Central Park for a "United Jerusalem and No Concessions."
A release from the organizer, Joseph Frager, said New York political figures and Jewish leaders also will appear at the event.
"We will gather to stand united with the State of Israel, and to let President Obama and the world know that we will not sit silent as our holy Jerusalem is in danger of being divided," Frager said. "We will gather to rejoice at Israel’s independence and to speak truth to power about the importance of supporting Israel."
The Obama administration is pressing Israel to freeze building in eastern Jerusalem as a means of drawing Palestinians into direct peace talks. The pressure led to two months of Israel-U.S. tensions, which have subsided only in recent weeks.
