“Stop Arming Israel”: 100+ Arrested at Jewish Voice for Peace Sit-In Outside Netanyahu U.N. Speech

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AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!democracynow.org, The War and Peace ReportI’m Amy Goodman, today broadcasting from London, where the movie about Democracy Now! Take This Story, Please!is playing throughout the weekend in theaters. You can inspect our site at democracynow.org. I’ll be speaking together with the Oscar-nominated director after each movie screening.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dealt with the United Nations General Assembly Thursday. In a couple of minutes, we’ll play excerpts of his address and get response from previous Israeli peace mediator Daniel Levy, who’s at the U.N. today. Initially to the streets outside the United Nations, where hundreds of protesters called on world leaders to stop equipping Israel and to end the genocide in Gaza. Democracy Now!‘s Amba Guerguerian existed.

PROTESTERS: Stop equipping Israel! Let Gaza live!

AMBA GUERGUERIAN: Ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations on Thursday, numerous demonstrators led by Jewish Voice for Peace staged a sit-in demonstration in New York City, stopping traffic for more than an hour simply 3 blocks far from the U.N.’s head office. Over 100 protesters were detained. Popular figures, such as stars Susan Sarandon, Elliot Page, Hannah Einbinder and Cynthia Nixon, went to the demonstration. Democracy Now! talked with a few of the congressional prospects and chosen authorities who existed.

PROTESTERS: End the killing! Combat like hell for the living!

AMBA GUERGUERIAN: This is Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic candidate for Congress from New York City.

DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER: I’m here with numerous New Yorkers to require that Netanyahu be held liable. He’s presently desired by the ICCAnd the paradox is that numerous New Yorkers here today will likely be the ones dealing with arrest, and not the individual desired for war criminal offenses and criminal offenses versus humankind, before the really body that he’s set to speak in front of.

AMBA GUERGUERIAN: This is Chris Rabb, a Democratic candidate for Congress from Philadelphia.

ASSOCIATE CHRIS RABB: We’ve got to speak out. And for those people who are going to Congress, we have a duty to defend all those folks who are on the ideal side of history however do not have adequate individuals in Congress holding individuals like him to account. We are complicit in those atrocities. We are moneying that genocide. We are appearing on the frontlines, letting individuals understand we see them, we care, we stand in uniformity with individuals of Palestine and all over the Middle East who are victims of this remarkable program that’s dealing with Israel, due to the fact that I’m speaking about the Trump routine, and I’m discussing all those complicit in this genocide. We need to speak out. We need to acknowledge and verify that Benjamin Netanyahu is a war crook. He ought to remain in The Hague, not the U.N.

AMBA GUERGUERIAN: This is Aber Kawas, a Democratic candidate for New York State Senate.

ABER KAWAS: I’m here today due to the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the designer of a genocide that has actually been going on over 3 years of the Palestinian individuals, feels entitled enough to be invited onto the world phase, and we are letting him understand that he is not invite in New York.

PROTESTERS: Netanyahu, you can’t conceal! We charge you with genocide!

AMBA GUERGUERIAN: This is Stefanie Fox, the executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace.

STEFANIE FOX: I’m the executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace. And we are here as Netanyahu makes his method to the U.N., an organization developed to avoid the precise atrocities he’s committing right this minute.

HANA ELIAS: These individuals running the risk of arrest to make that point.

STEFANIE FOX: It’s the really least we can do in this minute, as this 3 years of genocide raves on, backed totally by U.S. federal government. And the complicity begins right here in the U.S. It’s definitely our obligation to require that impunity end and be changed with responsibility.

PROTESTERS: [singing] Rebel versus the war they offer!

AMY GOODMAN: Thanks to Amba Guerguerian and Hana Elias for that report outside the United Nations.

A minimum of 104 individuals were jailed, consisting of 9 chosen authorities and congressional and other prospects. Arrests consisted of Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, star Hannah Einbinder, author Glennon Doyle, whistleblower Chelsea Manning, Democratic state senator candidate Aber Kawas and Democratic state Assemblymember David Orkin. Over 20 New York city and state agents took part in the presentations.