Leaders across the political spectrum joined in support of Israel during a Tuesday rally in Washington, D.C. Marc Thiessen, a former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush, and Philippe Reines, a longtime confidante of Hillary Clinton, spoke, with Thiessen praising the former first lady for her clarity on the Hamas invasion.
The crowd was estimated at 300,000 people making it the largest pro-Israel rally in the history of the United States, according to news accounts.
Thiessen said he and Reines often sparred politically back in the era of the Clintons and Bushes, while saying Reines’ former boss is a “wonderful” voice on the left in support of Israel’s right to exist amid Hamas terror. “Hillary Clinton has been a paragon of clarity on this issue,” he said. “She’s been wonderful in speaking out against Hamas and against ceasefires and all the rest of it.”
Clinton angered some of her Democratic base when she published a staunch op-ed declaring that a ceasefire in Gaza would be a mistake that leaves Hamas in power there. “For now, pursuing more limited humanitarian pauses that allow aid to get in and civilians and hostages to get out is a wiser course,” she wrote, adding that doing what the far left wants in this regard has a tendency to “freeze conflicts rather than resolve them.”
We just made U.S. History!!! 🇮🇱🇺🇸
Over 300,000 of us came to rally in Washington today in the largest pro-Israel event in US history!!!
Inspired by what we’ve been seeing in the world, I just recorded the most unique Torah presentation I’ve EVER given.
I decided to call it:… pic.twitter.com/vcMBp1PBjH
— Rabbi Shmuel Reichman (@ReichmanShmuel) November 15, 2023
Leftist antisemitism is an “elite phenomenon,” where people in positions of power allow hate to spread on campus and elsewhere, Thiessen said.
“This is happening at our elite universities, and it also exists in the halls of Congress,” he said. “You have Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who are virulent antisemites, and they’ve been tolerated in the Democratic caucus for far too long. I think a lot of people are waking up and seeing that there’s this creeping antisemitism that has leached into the Democratic Party, and we all have to police our movements.”
🔴300,000 people come together for MARCH FOR ISRAEL rally
MASSIVE show of support for Israel during “ March for Israel” rally held in Washington DC on Nov 14.
“Let Israel Finish the Job”— pic 3
People travelled from across US & Canada at a rally calling for release of the… https://t.co/QNh0BfqhFj pic.twitter.com/Ww2Wjw6SVc
— Levina🇮🇳 (@LevinaNeythiri) November 15, 2023
Reines echoed the criticism of his fellow Democrat, Tlaib, saying that once someone is told what “From the river to the sea” means, they should know not to repeat it.
“When you do repeat at that point, you can no longer claim ignorance — I don’t know whether they’re supposed to learn that in grade school or high school,” he said. “ But as a young adult, once you do hear that and it’s explained to you, then be quiet.
The pro-Israel event was politically diverse, with speakers including the Rev. John Hagee; House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and liberal CNN commentator and ex-Obama advisor Van Jones.
Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice