Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

‘700 days in hell,’ Israeli consulate campaign in Times Square says

“The return of the 48 hostages and the complete removal of Hamas from Gaza are the necessary conditions for ending this war,” stated Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York.

Ofir Akunis
Ofir Akunis, the Israeli consul general in New York, at the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, on Jan. 29, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

A weeklong Israeli Consulate in New York digital billboard campaign displayed in Times Square tells of “700 days of hell” for hostages whom Hamas has held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7.

“This attack, that was perpetrated by Hamas, was one of the most heinous acts of evil in human history since the Holocaust,” stated Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York.

“No human being with a conscience can remain unmoved in the face of such atrocities that took place that day,” he stated. “The slaughter of innocents, the burning of entire families alive, acts of sexual violence, the brutal beheadings and mutilations and the kidnapping of hundreds of innocent people were carried out by the terrorists who infiltrated Israel from Gaza 700 days ago.”

Akunis added that freeing the 48 hostages and removing Hamas from Gaza completely “are the necessary conditions for ending this war.”

“Only then can the process of rebuilding the Gaza Strip begin,” he said. “We must be clear. Those who choose to criticize or condemn Israel for defending ourselves, whether knowingly or not, are serving as enablers of Hamas.”

Ahmed Moor, who has called Hamas rocket fire “self-defense” and said that “‘Zionist Israel’ does not have the right to exist,” is the first candidate to announce that he’s taking on the pro-Israel stalwart.
Daniel Meron said that many countries that decry Israel publicly “in real life, they do business with Israel and they enjoy the great Israeli achievements in technology,” and “we are very pleased to cooperate with them.”
Arab parties, haredi conscription and Trump complicate his coalition bid.
The party’s planned appeal centers on alleged use of voter-mobilization apps in the Arab community.