Van Jones and other prominent figures are catching heat on social media for being slated as speakers for the March for Israel rally in Washington, D.C., amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Thousands of people traveling from across the nation are poised to attend the National Mall for the event on Tuesday, organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
It comes in the wake of concerns about the spike of anti-Semitic attacks across the country since the war started on Oct. 7 — when the militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack in Israel.
“The March for Israel will be an opportunity for all Americans to come together in solidarity with the people of Israel, to demonstrate our commitment to America’s most important ally in the Middle East, to condemn the rising trend of antisemitic violence and harassment, and to demand that every hostage be immediately and safely released,” the website said.
Celebrities and public figures expected to speak at the rally include the CNN commentator Jones and Dr. Rochelle Ford, the president of Dillard University, an HBCU in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ford released a statement saying that she’s attending to urge “all Americans to work collaboratively to end antisemitism and stand together against hate.”
“We are committed to helping our students find truth and understanding in this highly complex world,” the statement said. “No one should be condemned or be threatened for expressing their support or advocacy of their nationality, religion or ethnicity. Let’s move beyond sound bites and work together to promote understanding.”
Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, are slamming them for participating in the event.
“Van Jones has been a joke, but getting the president of an HBCU to speak on behalf of a regime that’s murdered over 4,000 children is especially disappointing,” one person chimed in. “How much did she get paid for this?”
“Van Jones remains the weakest of all weak links. What an embarrassment!” one person wrote. Another person said: “There goes Van Jones. What an absolute disgrace.”
Among them was journalist Marc Lamont Hill, who expressed his thoughts in a lengthy post, stating that he is “profoundly disappointed.”
“In addition to the noble goals of fighting antisemitism and honoring innocent lives lost on 10/7, the march is also organized to affirm U.S. solidarity with an Israeli government that has not only been identified as an apartheid state by numerous human rights groups around the world, but is actively committing multiple war crimes in a genocidal campaign against the people of Gaza,” he wrote, in part, early Tuesday morning.
Hill continued, “He could be calling for a ceasefire. He could be decrying the use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force. He could be demanding that Democrats, liberal, progressives, and other members of the so-called Left speak up.”
Jones seemingly took heed to the criticism. Speaking at the rally Tuesday evening, he said, “I’m a peace guy. I pray for peace. No more rockets from Gaza, and no more bombs falling down on the people of Gaza,” prompting the crowd to chant, “No cease fire.”
In a statement to reporters on Friday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced that an estimated 1,200 people were killed during last month’s attack, according to NPR, and 240 hostages were taken into Gaza. The Health Ministry in Gaza reportedly said that more than 11,000 Palestinians have died since Israel responded to the attack by declaring war on Hamas and beginning a military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
