About 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators, wearing pink hoods, apparently to hide their faces, marched outside the White House chanting and carrying signs with anti-Zionist slogans this morning while President Carter and Israeli Premier Menachem Begin were holding their first meeting inside the Executive Mansion.
About a half block away, a smaller group of Begin supporters marched in front of the Executive Office Building. They carried signs saying “God Bless America and Israel” and “Four Arab Wars of Genocide are Enough.” The two groups were in sight of each other but separated by large contingents of police.
The anti-Israel demonstration was sponsored by a group calling itself the Arab-African Change and Progress Society and the Socialist Workers Party. One of their signs said. “Israel Plus South Africa Equals Racism.” Others proclaimed “Begin is a Zionist Terrorist” and “Zionists Out of Palestine.” The demonstrators were mostly young people and few of them were Black. The apparent leader of the marchers was Dr. M.T. Mehdi, chairman of the Action Committee on American-Arab Relations.
About 50 young members of the Menorah Organization of the Silver Springs, Md. Jewish Center comprised the pro-Israel group. They issued a statement saying that they were there to “hail the solidarity and friendship between Israel and the U.S.” and to “request the Carter Administration to pursue a policy of true and permanent peace in the Middle East by promoting face-to-face negotiations including Arab recognition of Israel’s right to exist.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
