Anti-Netanyahu Israelis, Jewish Americans greet PM at UN with blood soaked effigy 

NEW YORK – A coalition of progressive Israeli and New York Jewish organizations gathered near the United Nations on Thursday morning with a clear message as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in New York ahead of his address before the international body: Stop putting political power above the lives of the hostages and all people in the region.

Groups involved included the New York Jewish Agenda, Ameinu, J Street, T’ruah, UnXeptable, and Israelis for Peace NYC, among others.

Protesters held signs reading, “The whole world needs to know, Netanyahu has got to go,” “From the river to the sea, we all deserve equality,” and “President [Joe] Biden, save Israel from Netanyahu.”

A blood-soaked effigy wearing a mask with Netanyahu’s face stood adjacent to the protesters with “the emperor has no clothes” and “end the war now” written across its body.

Demonstrators with drums led chants of “war has no winners” and “there is no military solution.”

Speaker after speaker noted how the same coalition gathered outside the UN last year during the General Assembly, prior to October 7, to protest against Netanyahu.

“We were here one year ago, standing together as Netanyahu spoke at this very Hall in the United Nations, putting forth an antidemocratic vision of extremism and dehumanization. One year later, we are here together again,” Amichai Lau-Lavie, founder of Lab/Shul NYC, said.

Lau-Lavie said he is here in grief for the Israelis who lost their lives on October 7 as a result of the Hamas brutal attack, in grief for over 40,000 Palestinians who have been murdered in Gaza, and in grief for the hostages whose families dreams of their return “only for their hopes to be in vain at the expense of the Israeli government’s torpedoing a deal.”

Among the speakers was New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander, who Lau-Lavie described to The Jerusalem Post as an active participant in the anti-Netanyahu, pro-democracy movement for years before becoming a candidate for mayor.

Lander cheekily acknowledged the chaos sweeping City Hall on Thursday as Mayor Eric Adams spent the morning downtown in court, where he was charged with five counts of federal charges, including bribery and wire fraud.

“It is a busy day in New York City, and it may be true that my team canceled everything else on our calendar, but we did not cancel joining here,” he said.

Israeli democracy

Lander said Netanyahu is corroding Israeli democracy every day he stays in office, extends the war, and refuses to bring the hostages home.

“Every day he indiscriminately bombs families in Gaza, and now in Lebanon; every day he empowers [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich and [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir in their eliminationist efforts to displace Palestinians from their homes; every single day along with other racist authoritarians Modi, Orban, and Trump, he is destroying the vision of human rights, peace and democracy that were at the heart of the founding of the United Nations,” Lander said.

Eran Etzion, the former head of Israel’s National Security Council, agreed and directly addressed the Americans in the crowd.

“My fellow Americans, here is what you’re failing to grasp. As Senator [Mike] Schumer put it with surgical accuracy, Netanyahu no longer represents the Israeli people,” he said. “We are here to drive this point home: you need to help us save Israel from its most dangerous enemy: Netanyahu and his cronies.”

Etzion urged Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump to “do what must be done” and use all leverage the US has to coerce Netanyahu to release the hostages, stop the war, and bring about free and fair elections in Israel.

Etzion said the people of Israel will elect a new and capable government that will work hand in hand with any US administration on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Israeli-Arab conflict, on rebuilding Israel’s democracy, and on renewed defense and democracy alliance between the US and Israel.

“History is looking you in the eye. The Israeli people, the Jewish people across the globe, and the American people are all expecting you to rise to the occasion,” he said. “Time is running out. We Israelis will do our share – please, do yours.”