Thousands of protestors, many of them Jewish and some holding the Israeli flag, gathered the evening of July 22 in Times Square to urge Congress to reject the nuclear deal hammered out on July 14 between the U.S., five other nations, and Iran. Opponents say it threatens Israel’s security.
A small group of ultra-Orthodox rabbis held a counterprotest south of Times Square, saying that the Israeli government doesn’t “speak in our name” against the deal.
“I’m Jewish, I have lots of friends in Israel and right now they’re in danger by the wars that are going on around it and the missiles that are coming in,” says Rose Friedman, a 19-year-old interior architecture student. She said allowing Iran “to have nuclear power without inspection or this very low amount of inspection…it just doesn’t make me feel safer for my brothers.”
The deal requires Iran to dramatically reduce its uranium stockpiles and its uranium enrichment capability, as well as to submit to close monitoring, inspection, and verification of its activities by the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China. In exchange, international sanctions against Iran will be lifted. Negotiations to restrict Iran’s nuclear development to exclusively peaceful purposes started back in 2006.
The deal is opposed by Israel and Saudi Arabia. On July 23, Secretary of State John Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to explain and support particulars of the agreement, which Congress has two months to sign or reject.
“If people thought that 9/11 was disastrous, they should wait to see what happens if Iran gets nukes,” says Alan Verbitzky, a 24-year-old political science student.
Holding banners opposing the Israeli government was a group of 20 rabbis who were vocal in their own protest.
“The Zionist State of Israel does not represent the Jewish religion or Jews,” said one rabbi in the group, which gathered close to Times Square. “Today they’re trying to stop Israel’s peace and they’re attacking with disgust President Obama and they’re attacking international leaders.” Later on he added, “They don’t speak in our name, let the world know this.”
