NEW YORK (JTA) — Several hundred supporters of Israel gathered near the United Nations to protest the Durban III meeting and oppose the Palestinian statehood bid.
Wednesday’s rally was organized by the pro-Israel Christian group Eagles’ Wings.
Many leading Jewish groups have decided not to mount demonstrations in response to the Palestinian statehood bid or to what they see as the U.N.’s increasingly irrelevant Durban III meeting.
Some Jewish groups dropped out of Wednesday’s rally due to the involvement of the Jerusalem Institute for Justice, an organization led by messianic Jews.
Roz Rothstein, the CEO of StandWithUs, one of the few Jewish groups to co-sponsor the rally, said that Durban III was worth protesting.
"Even if its one day long, even if it is one paragraph long. We’ll fight them," Rothstein told the JTA.
Some of the rally’s speakers criticized President Obama’s policies.
"Obama built up the reputation of Mahmoud Abbas, and as a result the Palestinian Authority now believes it no longer needs to negotiate with Israel," said the deputy speaker of Israel’s Knesset, Danny Danon.
The remaining speakers were mostly Christian, although Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue also spoke.
Many of the rally attendees were evangelical Christians and messianic Jews.
Amy Liantonio, 25, a messianic Jew who came from Philadelphia for the rally, said she was disappointed that there was not more Jewish support for the event.
"I wish they were here," she said.
