Middle East

Supporting Hezbollah

At Dearborn rally, thousands condemn Israel and U.S. policy.

Don Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

from pleas for family members
and calls for peace, to bitter and
inflammatory attacks on Israel
and harsh condemnations of
President Bush and American
Mideast policy. Once the group
arrived a. the park, the rally
turned into strong and vocal
support for Hezbollah as chants
for the terrorist organization
and its leader Hassan Nasrallah
interrupted several speakers
and Nasrallah's picture was dis-
played on the stage, drawing loud
cheers.
There were many speeches
and chants in Arabic that drew
enthusiastic support that the
Detroit Jewish News was not
able to translate by press time.
Leaders of the Arab and Muslim
community were joined by two
members of the ultra-Orthodox,

T

housands of supporters
of Lebanon marched
and rallied in Dearborn
on July 18 as a sea of Lebanese
flags stretched for blocks on the
way to a rally at Hemlock Park.
Families and people from all
walks of life called for an end
to Israel's military campaign
against the Iranian- and Syrian-
backed Hezbollah, which has
been bombarding northern Israel
and is holding two kidnapped
Israeli soldiers. While there were
scattered Palestinian flags, the
focus was clearly on Lebanon
and Hezbollah, and in opposition
to Israel and U.S. government
support for Israel.
Signs held in the crowd ranged

A protester shows his support for Lebanon and Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah.

24

♦ -7

duty ?_7.2006

anti-Zionist Neturei Karta sect,
who came from New York to call
for the end of Israel. Standing
behind a large banner that read:
"Judaism Rejects Zionism:' Rabbi
Dovid Weiss said he came "not
with a message of reconciliation:'
but with "the message of the
basics of Judaism and the Jewish
people."
He was interrupted by cheers
when he said, "The message of
the Jewish people is we are totally
against the entire State of Israel,
and we pray for the speedy and
peaceful dismantlement of the
State, which is the root cause of
all the bloodshed and suffering."
Explaining that only the •
Messiah could create a Jewish
state, he called for "Palestinian
rule over the entire Holy Land."
Neturei Karta has long sup-
ported groups committed to the
violent dismantling of Israel. For
example, its Web site currently
offers "congratulations and well-
wishes" to Hamas on its takeover
of the Palestinian Authority, and
it also has urged Iran to elimi-
nate Israel.
Imam Ali Elahi of the Islamic
House of Wisdom in Dearborn

condemned what he called
facing extermination."
Israel's "evil aggression" and
"The death and destruction
called for a moment of silence "to that we have witnessed at the
honor the memory of the mar-
hands of Israel this past week,
tyrs of Lebanon and Palestine'
and the pathetic excuse of self-
"The pain and suffering in
defense is appalling, unfathom-
Lebanon and Palestine is beyond able and unforgivable' she said
our imagination;' Elahi said,
to loud applause and screams,
adding that Lebanon, "one of
adding, "and even more appalling
the most beautiful, most lovely
and unforgivable is the position
and most hospitable nations of
of the U.S. administration..."
the world, is under barbaric and
"The United States and Israel
bloody bombardment of Rabbi Dovid
have decided that they
an evil aberration...."
are able to determine
Weiss of the
Elahi said that the
the
value of human life
ultra-Orthodox
real enemy of the Israeli anti-Zionist
based on which side
people is the arrogance
of the border you fall;'
Neturei Karta
of its leaders, saying they sect in New York Chami maintained.
should "read your book:' spoke against
"The U.S. is just as
apparently referencing
guilty
as Israel in the
Israel at the
the exhortations of bibli- Dearborn rally.
implementation of
cal prophets that rebuked
these war crimes."
the Jewish people.
She encouraged political
action and received loud and
U.S. Policy Criticized
enthusiastic chants of support for
Rana Abbas Chami, assistant
Hezbollah in response.
director of the American Arab
"Let me speak to you from
Anti-Discrimination Committee
my American mind and from
(ADC) of Michigan, told the
my Arab heart, because we have
crowd that she spoke "as inno .-
a heart, our enemy doesn't:'
cent lives are being taken away in said Abed Hammoud, a Wayne
two countries, both Lebanon and
County assistant prosecutor
Palestine, an entire people are
and president of the Congress