Tonight at the Marriott Marquis Times Square, Mayor Michael Bloomberg did us proud. The mayor of New York, Bloomberg recently showed his character by traveling to Israel while that nation was suffering much international condemnation for self-defense. In doing so, he continued a New York City mayoral tradition, for the great Rudy Giuliani showed similar character in traveling to Israel at the height of Palestinian suicide bombing attacks, insisting upon riding Jerusalem city buses in a remarkable show of solidarity.
This evening was the Northeast Regional Dinner for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the lobbying organization that represents the interests of Americans who support a strong bond between the U.S. and Israel.
Bloomberg spoke of his recent trip to Israel, specifically the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot, where an entire population lives in fear of rocket attacks.
He recalled President Obama’s statement of support for Israel’s self-defense during the campaign, when then-Senator Obama visted Sderot.
“At that time, President Obama said if it was his daughters, he would do the same to protect them,” Bloomberg said tonight. “If Americans faced that kind of nightmarish danger, the demand for action would be overwhelming and completely justified.”
He issued a call for solidarity in support of our democratic ally in days ahead, saying, “The road ahead is not going to be easy,” and adding, “When you help Israel, you are helping America and New York City and freedom-loving people everywhere.”
Outside the event, which was attended by 1400, a few scraggly-haired protestors formed a human ring, holding onto something resembling an inner tube, rolling around on the ground, and screaming at the attendees as we walked in. They shouted a few epithets and then settled on, “Free Palestine!” and “End the occupation!” (Hearing these or any protestors shout about the ‘occupation’ in the context of Israel’s Gaza incursion always makes me wonder if these folks realize Israel no longer occupies Gaza, and therefore has more ability under international law to counterattack when attacked. In other words, I wonder if these people realize that, should Israel cease to ‘occupy’ the West Bank while Palestinians are still planning attacks, Israel would have greater power to crush those hostile forces. In other words, those who clamor for an end to ‘occupation’ while continuing to advocate violence should be careful what they wish for).
Anyway, it was quite something to see these anti-Israel demonstrators being guarded by the NYPD, shouting down the people attending this dinner in the heart of one of the the most pro-Israel cities, with one of the most pro-Israel mayors, in the most pro-Israel county (other than Israel!) in the world. As the saying goes, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me,” especially if they aren’t true. Just as long as they don’t try blowing anything up, flying planes into buildings, shooting, stabbing, etc., then…well, Let Freedom Ring!
3 Comments
Bllomburg’s a cool guy for alot of reaons. One of them being he was a leader in the smoking bans in New York which then spread around the country and the eventually the rest of the world.
Thank you Mike!!!! Thank you Heather for your vigilance in reporting on this critically important issue. There is so much misinformation out there. I love how you dismantled the concept of “occupation”, which is the major source of contention that anti-Israel organizations use to further their cause. Once again, a great and important read.
Jennifer
http://angstmom.com
I appreciate the Mayor’s support for Israel during a crucial time; Giuiliani did the same. However, Bloomberg runs the city will smoke and mirrors and too much spin and not enough substance. His education record is shabby - schools spend the year preparing for finals and regents with test preparation instead of real learning and still the numbers are lousy and his Schools boss, Joel Klein, has frozen out parents who want to be involved. Crime is on a steady rise and this is before he makes the budget cuts that will likely create more dangerous streets. Homeless policy has been a disaster from day one and now it’s hard to get on the subway without tripping over the homeless or their boxes. The Mayor turned the streets and city spaces over to developers and their construction crews only to have collapsing because of lax oversight and now half finished buildings sit empty with sidewalks and half of the street blocked by construction materials. Mass transit as only a lip service issue for him as he pursued his failed congestion pricing plan (meanwhile creating more congestion with lame brained bike lines and bizarre sidewalk structures see Broadway in the mid-30s). He has not been innovative in any way save for his “311″ phone hotline, which has been successful in other cities first. So forgive me if I don’t applaud too strongly as he now spends another $100 million to get re–elected after trampling on democracy by overturning (buying) term limits and now hiring every political consultant in town so his opponents cannot.
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