Jewish Activists Protest US Weapons Sales to Israel on Wall Street

Protesters have gathered outside the New York Stock Exchange to demand a halt to weapons deliveries to Israel

Hundreds of Jewish activists advocating for Palestinian rights have taken to Wall Street in New York to protest against US support for what they describe as Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza. Police say scores of demonstrators have been arrested.

A group of protesters, wearing red shirts and holding banners that read “Jews say stop arming Israel” and “Gaza bombed, Wall Street Booms,” gathered outside the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. Other slogans included “Fund FEMA not genocide,” in reference to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is currently dealing with the aftermath of two recent hurricanes that struck the southeastern US.

The demonstration, organized by Jewish Voices for Peace, drew an estimated 500 people. The New York Police Department reported that 206 people were taken into custody after protesters breached a security fence. Social media footage shows activists conducting a sit-in protest, with officers removing some of them, and no signs of clashes or active resistance.

The group wrote on X: “The US is not arming Israel to protect Jews. The US is arming Israel for its own profit and control of the region… [President Joe] Biden wants us to believe that his $18 billion slush fund this year for the Israeli government is for ‘Jewish safety.’ As Jews, we reject this myth with every fiber of our beings. We refuse to let our traditions, histories, and identities be used to massacre Palestinians.”

The protest comes after the US announced on Sunday the new deployment of missile defense assets to Israel, as well as troops. The Pentagon stated that the reinforcements are meant to protect the Jewish state in the aftermath of “Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel.” 

Since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war last October, pro-Palestinian protests – which have often turned violent – have taken place across the US, with demonstrators condemning what they say are indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Gaza. Israel launched a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave in response to Hamas’ surprise attack in October last year. In recent weeks, tensions also escalated between Israel and Hezbollah, after West Jerusalem assassinated numerous top officials of the organization and started a ground operation in Lebanon.