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TEANECK — Palestinian supporters prepared for Monday’s protest of the latest Israel and West Bank land sales promotion with a rally and press conference on the front steps of Township Hall Sunday.
A gathering of 60 protesters was sponsored by Teaneck for Palestine, American Muslims for Palestine – New Jersey, and PAL-Awda NY/NJ. They heard six speakers protest that New Jersey will once again be the site chosen by “My Home in Israel” to host closed-door real estate fairs targeted at Orthodox residents interested in purchasing property in Israel and the West Bank.
A similar fair held at the Keter Torah Synagogue in March drew hundreds of protesters and counterprotesters.
Monday’s fair is at an as-yet undisclosed location. But 40% of Teaneck’s residents are Jewish, making it a likely choice for such sessions. Teaneck was listed as the location of the fair before the description was changed to New Jersey, activists said.
Real estate fairs marketing property in Israel and in the West Bank are not new, but they received heightened scrutiny amid tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, which started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 and taking 250 hostages.
Since then, an Israeli offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, with thousands more buried under rubble or missing. Most of Gaza’s homes, schools and infrastructure have been destroyed, as a cease-fire agreement remains elusive.
Conflict is also brewing in the West Bank, where settlement expansion and violence have escalated.
An estimated 500 Palestinian villages were displaced during the creation of Israel in 1948, and its descendants continue to seek a means of returning.
Among the attendees at Sunday’s press conference was child therapist and Paramus resident Fatima Kheirallah, formerly of Teaneck.
“My family had farming land for olives, beautiful land. But my children don’t know their grandparents and great grandparents because of this,” Kheirallah said. “My family is scattered around the world. How do we get together for family dinners and holidays? What will those Palestinian children grow up to be in those conditions?”
MC Adam Weissman of Teaneck led the rally, criticizing Monday’s fair, which will be held on the 1982 anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila Massacre of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
“This is akin to Germans selling off stolen Jewish homes on Holocaust Remembrance Day,” Weissman said.
Speakers also included Tova Fry of PAL-Awda NY/NJ, Hafsa Habehh of American Muslims for Palestine NJ, Jersey City teacher Amado Sison who was shot in the leg last month during a West Bank demonstration against settlement expansion, community activist Bashir Ali, and Said Alatab, a Shatilla survivor.
A group of 10 pro-Israel protesters gathered at a distance during the event Sunday, but a police presence kept the groups from interacting with each other other than occasionally trying to speak over each other with bullhorns. Among them were Cara Altman and Lorrie Hertzberge of Livingston and Gail Wallis of Washington Township.
“If we don’t stand up for Israel no one else will,” Wallis said. “We’re doing this for our children and grandchildren, the right of Israel to exist.”
American Muslims for Palestine has announced they will hold a rally 4:30 p.m. Monday at Township Hall green.
Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/2024/09/15/speakers-at-teaneck-rally-decry-israel-land-sale-event/75239247007/
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Publish date : 2024-09-15 10:26:00
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