Photo: AFP
300,000 people gathered on The Mall in Washington D.C. Tuesday afternoon in a show of support for Israel. The lone democracy in the Middle East has been battered in the media ever since the October 7th attack by Hamas, but the rally in D.C. let the Israelis know many Americans are squarely in their corner. Representative Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY 4th) was part of the crowd at the Mall. He appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to explain why he had to be there.
‘It wasn’t just Jews,” D’Esposito told Berman and Riedel as he set the scene. “It was from every religion, every color skin, every walk of life. People gathered… Everyone sang the national anthem and the Israeli national anthem together… and I think it was very clear yesterday individuals who were there and who were supporting and who were one with the Jewish people, and it was very clear the ones who were absent and didn’t find the time or didn’t think it was a priority to be there.”
D’Esposito may have “The Squad” in mind when referencing people who weren’t there. “It is not just anti-Israel, it’s anti-Semitism, and quite frankly, at this point, it’s anti-America… The Democrats are doing their best to try to distance themselves from individuals like that, but they’re not doing a very good job at it. When you embrace people like that in your conference, and you really don’t speak out against them and you try to isolate them and you’re not calling them out for what they are, that sends a real message across the country, and people are watching.”
D’Esposito also addressed the craziness on Capitol Hill in recent days, particularly the charge that Kevin McCarthy elbowed Tim Burchett in the back during an interview. “I know that there are still people upset, angry, you know, hurt by what happened with the ousting of the speaker… but I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and realize that we were sent here by the American people to do the people’s work, and that’s what we should be focused on. We need to put aside personal issues, personal vendettas and we need to keep this country moving forward.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images