From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Israeli diplomat laments ‘institutional support’ Chicago providing to anti-Israel protesters
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
CHICAGO — Israel’s Consul General in Chicago Yinam Cohen laments the “institutional support” that the city of Chicago has provided to the anti-Israel protests taking place outside the Democratic National Convention.
Speaking to The Times of Israel from the “Hostage Square” erected by pro-Israel groups to raise awareness of the hostages’ plight on the sidelines of the DNC, Cohen declines to elaborate on the charge against Chicago.
Earlier this week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson characterized the war in Gaza as “genocidal.” Pressed on that assertion yesterday, Johnson softened his rhetoric, instead calling for a ceasefire and hostage release deal that the US has been working to broker.
The city granted organizers of the March on DNC to hold rallies on the first and final days of the convention, allowing them to gather within sight and sound of the main confab hall. Several demonstrators were arrested yesterday after breaching one of the outer perimeters of Chicago’s United Center, where the main events are being held.
Hostage Square was erected on private property half a mile from the perimeter of the convention after organizers from the Israeli American Council said that the city refused to grant them a permit for a space closer or within the perimeter of the main event hall.
Despite his criticism of the city, Cohen says that the reception he and other Israeli diplomats have been receiving at the DNC has been “extraordinary.”
“Just like we were at the RNC last month, we are here at the DNC to really celebrate the strategic alliance between the United States and Israel,” he says.
“The most significant foundation of this alliance is its bipartisan nature and our ability to work well and evenly with both parties,” Cohen adds.
