NYC Jews, Israelis, anti-Zionists plan protests during Netanyahu visit to UN

NEW YORK — Mainstream Jewish groups, leftist Jews and Israelis, and anti-Zionist activists have announced protests this week during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly.

The array of protests reflected the fraught politics surrounding Netanyahu’s visit and widespread opposition to Israel in the city, as well as concerns about antisemitism and domestic Israeli politics.

Netanyahu’s annual visit for the UN General Assembly typically brings out a range of protesters in the city.

On Wednesday at 5 p.m., major Jewish groups will lead a rally against antisemitism at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, in midtown Manhattan, across from the UN.

The rally aims to “call on world leaders to act decisively to stop the growing tide of antisemitism.”

“Tell world leaders — no more excuses,” organizers said.

Sponsors include the UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Conference of Presidents, the Union for Reform Judaism, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Yeshiva University, the Israeli American Council and StandWithUs.

On Thursday, the day Netanyahu addresses the UN, there will be a series of protests around the city.

At 11 a.m., in Manhattan’s Union Square, the leftist Israeli expat activist group UnXeptable will lead a protest against Netanyahu.

UnXeptable, which protests against the Netanyahu coalition’s domestic policies, gained prominence during demonstrations against the government’s judicial overhaul in early 2023.

The group’s director, Offir Gutelzon, said Thursday’s protest was meant to “show the world that change is coming to Israel” and encourage Israelis to vote.

“No matter where he goes, Benjamin Netanyahu harms the State of Israel and the people of Israel. No one, not even President Trump, has any interest in encountering him,” Gutelzon said in a statement. “The only way Israel’s international standing can be restored is to replace Netanyahu in the October 27th elections.”

At 12 p.m. on Thursday, leftist US Jewish groups will protest at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza to “speak out against the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank,” organizers said.

Organizers include T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, J Street, New Israel Fund, New Jewish Narrative, New York Jewish Agenda, Smol Emuni US and Partners for Progressive Israel.

“The Prime Minister has blood on his hands, and he is not welcome in New York City,” organizers said in a statement. “Protesters are calling for an immediate, permanent end to the war, real accountability for those responsible for war crimes, and a future of justice and peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

At 4 p.m. on Thursday, a coalition of anti-Zionist groups will gather in Manhattan’s Bryant Park “to stand for liberation in Palestine, demand Netanyahu be brought to justice, and oppose Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”

The protesters will march from Bryant Park across Manhattan to the UN, organizers said.

The protest is backed by the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Democratic Socialists of America, Pal-Awda, the city’s branch of Jewish Voice for Peace, CodePink, the People’s Forum and the Muslim American Society of New York.

Israel’s mission to the UN has said it was expecting “intense” protests against Netanyahu during his trip to New York, blaming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Mamdani had promised to arrest Netanyahu for more than a year based on an international warrant, but acknowledged in July that he had no authority to do so, releasing a video statement calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” and saying the prime minister was “not welcome in New York City.”

Asked at the time what “people who were frustrated with Netanyahu should do when he arrives in New York City,” Mamdani said, “One of the bedrocks of our city is protest.”

Last week, he said he would not protest himself, and that he had not encouraged New Yorkers to protest, but only told them that “they have the right to do so.”