Photos: 'March for Israel' draws thousands in Washington, D.C.
Organizers said 60,000 people were expected to attend the rally, easily the largest pro-Israel gathering in the U.S. since the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Called the “March for Israel,” U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson, addressed the crowd on the National Mall.
"We will not hide in the face of adversity," Schumer said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke via video.
“No one will break us,” Herzog said. “We will rise again.”
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security designated the march a “level 1” security event, the “highest classification in its system and one usually used for the Super Bowl and other major events,” according to the Associated Press.
Federal law enforcement agencies sent a joint bulletin to their counterparts in Washington warning about the potential for violence or an attack inspired by the Israel-Hamas war, the AP reported, but said there were no specific threats.
Busloads of pro-Israel supporters from cities like New York City and Cleveland arrived hours before the march, with many carrying signs, waving Israeli flags and chanting, “Never again.”
Organizers said 60,000 people were expected to attend the rally, easily the largest pro-Israel gathering since the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people and during which more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Israel’s retaliatory attacks in Gaza have killed more than 11,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
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It was the farthest trip of his pontificate and one of the longest papal trips ever in terms of days on the road and distance traveled. With half of East Timor’s population gathered at a seaside park, Francis couldn’t help but oblige them with a final good night and languid loops in his popemobile, long after the sun had set and the field was lit by cellphone screens. “How many children you have!” Francis marveled to the crowd of 600,000, which amounted to the biggest-ever turnout for a papal event as a proportion of the population.