TEL AVIV — “This isn’t everyone,” my son said Saturday as we stood on the steps of the Tel Aviv City Hall, in Rabin Square. “There are more people coming, right?”What KEret doesn't want NYT readers to know is that this wasn't an anti-violence rally. It was an anti-settler rally.
It was already 9 p.m., an hour and a half past the official opening of the anti-violence, anti-incitement demonstration. He’s not even 10 yet, but he’s already seen that square full of people demonstrating for less important causes and he’s sure that, as in every good Western, the cavalry is on the way, that tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of citizens horrified by the terrible events that occurred in Israel this week will be thronging the square. How is it possible that fewer people would come to demonstrate against the murder of children and innocent people than to demonstrate against the high cost of housing or the halt to building in the settlements?
[T]he embarrassing truth is that a demonstration against two hate crimes — the firebombing on Friday of a home in a Palestinian village, which killed an 18-month-old boy, and the stabbing of six marchers on Saturday in Jerusalem’s Gay Pride Parade, including a 16-year-old girl who later died of her injuries — did not get many people out of their homes, definitely not in this especially hot, humid August. And that truth is not a pleasant one for anybody.
...
[W]here are those settlers in their skull caps who instantly filled this square when demonstrations were held against the demolition of illegal settlements — but who are now choosing not to demonstrate against the murder of babies? Do they think that, when it comes to Palestinians and the L.G.B.T. community, the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” has been erased from their set of stone tablets? That we have some sort of division of labor here: The right demonstrates for the sanctity of the land, and anything related to murder of innocents who are not Jewish or straight falls completely outside their jurisdiction?
Even the photo of the rally accompanying the op-ed makes this clear:
When the organizers said that this wally was against violence, they meant - and their attendees understood - tht they were saying that religious Jewish Zionists are guilty of murdering Arab babies.
Another clue that this rally was not for tolerance but actually was inciting against religious Jews is that it began before Sabbath ended (it was called for 7:30). If they wanted to be inclusive, they would have been a bit more tolerant themselves.
It is even worse. As Yeshiva World News reported:
Education Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Naftali Bennet was invited to be one of the speakers at the [Saturday night] rally at Rabin Square calling for an end to violence in society and tolerance.
Bennett’s aides explained the minister agreed to speak amid an awareness it was not going to be a friendly crowd. On his way to the event, the minister received a request not to appear, a request made by organizers as they feared the reception he receives from participants may be unruly or worse.
Bayit Yehudi Yinon Magal, who also planned to attend, was also asked not to do so. He too complied.
Bennett’s office staff released the following message to the media. “We are saddened over the decision that the Minister of Education did not attend the rally calling for solidarity and tolerance as he was informed his planned appearance was canceled. To remove any doubt, if organizers would have changed their minds the minister would have attended and delivered a message as one who represents a large segment in the State of Israel”.
So there was a hate rally in Rabin Square where even an Israeli MK was threatened with violence - but they go to Western media and complain that the Jews they despise don't care about human life.
But a couple of the organizers were aware enough that their left-wing "peace" crowd was anything but peaceful, and they were out for blood.
It is indeed an irony that a rally that was purportedly against incitement was in fact a source of incitement. But it is an irony that the New York Times would never report on.