President Joe Biden will skip the bipartisan “March for Israel” rally set for the Mall in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.
Biden’s absence appears to show a political calculation to avoid sparking additional backlash among far-left Democrats, who adamantly oppose the administration’s policy positions on Israel’s defensive measures against Hamas.
William Daroff, rally organizer and CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told Fox News he invited Biden to attend.
Biden replied to Daroff he was too busy preparing for his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in California, Daroff conveyed on Fox News Tuesday morning.
People pray on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House before a rally supporting Israel during its conflict with Hamas November 14, 2023, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The event’s paperwork permits up to 60,000 people to attend to “show solidarity and support for Israel and the Israeli People,” ABC News reported.
Event speakers include:
- Relatives of people taken hostage by Hamas
- Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
- Actress Debra Messing
- Broadway actress Tovah Feldshuh and Rochelle Ford
- President of Dillard University
As many as 5,000 counter demonstrators will likely appear at the event to demand Biden “grant relief to immigrants” from the Middle East, a second permit reportedly specified.
Sources told ABC News that DHS labeled the rally as a “Level 1” security event, which is the highest rating of risk assessment.
District Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) deployed the National Guard to assist local police.
Follow Wendell Husebø on “X” @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.