Anger as Smotrich and two other far-right Israeli ministers attend New York parade
'If the goal was repairing Israel's image in New York, these are the last people you put at the front,' observed one writer after Sunday's Israel Day Parade
Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu were among a 13-strong Knesset delegation to join New York’s annual pro-Israel parade.
In a move that has sparked widespread anger amongst progressive and liberal communal groups in America, the Jewish Community Relations Council said it had not been alerted to who from the Israeli government would be attending Sunday’s parade.
It was also claimed that the Israeli consulate in New York had not included the names of either Smotrich or Eliyahu on its list of attendees.
A third member of the Knesset to join the delegation at the front of the march was minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party.
Following the parade, Israel writer and Middle East analyst Eli Kowaz said”Everyone spent the week furious that Mamdani skipped the parade.
“Then Israel sent Smotrich, Amichai Eliyahu and Yitzhak Wasserlauf to lead it: the annexation minister, the one who suggested to nuke Gaza, and another Kahanist from Otzma Yehudit. If the goal was repairing Israel’s image in New York, these are the last people you put at the front.”
In his speech to attendees of Sunday’s Israel Day Parade, Smotrich said the gathering reminded him of the Jerusalem Flag March at home – an event that has increasingly been tarnished by extremist chants.
As the delegation passed a protest organised by two Jewish progressive groups, Israelis for Peace and Friends of Standing Together New York, they were greeted with shouts of “shame” and “war criminals.”
Smotrich has infamously previously called for the destruction of Gaza and the exit of its Palestinian population, while Eliyahu has previously said of the population in the Strip:”There is no problem bombing their food and fuel reserves. They should starve.”
Wasserlauf sparked a global backlash following his involvement in a controversial phone call to soldiers heading into Gaza, in which he was documented quoting a biblical verse (Psalm 137) that included violent phrasing about seizing and dashing babies against rocks to motivate the troops.
Organisers of the parade – held this year under the theme “Proud Americans, Proud Zionists” said the turnout was the largest in the event’s six-decade history.
The parade took place under the “most extensive” security operation in its history, according to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Some of the floats taking part included those of Nefesh B’Nefesh, the UJA Federation of New York and the Maccabiah Games.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had become the first city mayor in decades to boycott the event, leading to criticism of him from several leading US communal organisations.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler were among those in attendance, as were former New York City Mayors Eric Adams and Mike Bloomberg.
Tamar Glezerman from Israelis for Peace said:” We were there to protest against the Israeli Knesset delegation, the largest of its size of all of the parades, that sent members of the coalition and the so-called opposition to do hasbara and march victoriously up a New York avenue.”
She added, “A parade that very much champions unexamined, unchecked and non-critical support of Israel is perhaps important for people here. It is not good for Israelis. It sure as hell isn’t good for Palestinians.”