Palestinian critic of BDS speaks at St. Louis Friends of Israel event
The tense situation in the Mideast was the topic of discussion at United Hebrew Congregation on Thursday as the temple hosted an internationally known Palestinian human rights advocate for a talk on the complexities of the conflict.
“In my opinion, peace will have to start from the bottom, not from the top,” activist and commentator Bassem Eid told a crowd so large that chairs had to be added to the aisles.
Founder of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, Eid is a controversial figure to some as he has been a critic of both the Palestinian Authority and the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. He has been extensively published and honored with awards due in part to his allegations regarding human rights policies of both the PA and the Israeli military. A sought-after speaker, he has lectured worldwide on Mideast issues.
His talk at United Hebrew was sponsored by the St. Louis Friends of Israel.
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More than 500 turn out for walk supporting Israel
More than 500 people participated in Sunday’s “Walk in Support of Israel,” which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem.
Even the weather cooperated with the event—a blue sky with white clouds—the national colors of the State of Israel. At noon, participants of all ages gathered on the back parking lot at the Staenberg Family Complex, 2 Millstone Campus Drive, and then walked to the four corners of Schuetz Road and Lindbergh Boulevard in a show of solidarity for Israel. The march came off without incident and there were no counter-demonstrators along the way.
After the walk, marchers returned to the pavilion in the back parking lot of the Jewish Community Center for Israeli food, catered by Kohn’s Kosher Deli, as well as lively Israeli music and remarks by event organizers and community leaders. An official proclamation from Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens was read, which expressed support for the march and rally and urged all Missourians to support the State of Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East.
READ MORE: https://www.stljewishlight.com/news/local/more-than-turn-out-for-walk-supporting-israel/article_dcaa24ba-4147-11e7-9860-6b26f00be8a2.html