Washington D.C. Braces for 'March for Israel'

A March for Israel in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday will be subject to enhanced security as tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on the U.S. capital in response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The rally, organized by the Jewish Federations of North America, is expected to take place at 1 p.m. ET at the National Mall and will remain static rather than moving through the streets.

"We've all heard voices of hatred and antisemitism around the globe glorifying the October 7 attacks," the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington said. "But these voices will never drown out those of Americans who stand against terror and with Israel. Now it's time to raise your voice: to defeat antisemitism, to demand freedom for the hostages, and to demonstrate that America stands with Israel."

Five weeks ago, around 1,500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing around 1,400, including many civilians, and taking 240 hostages back to Gaza.

Since then, Israeli forces have conducted an intensive campaign of air strikes on Gaza and a subsequent ground invasion of the Palestinian territory, with the stated aim of eliminating Hamas. The AP cites the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry as saying more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in the violence.

The violence in the Middle East has prompted widespread pro-Palestinian protests across the globe and in the U.S., which in some cases have spilled over into expressions of support for Hamas' actions and overt antisemitic threats.

The March for Israel promises to include speeches from a stage in front of the Ulysses S. Grant memorial and will be preceded by a rally for students by Jewish youth groups. Some Jewish students have said they have been made to feel unwelcome on college campuses over at-times aggressive pro-Palestinian protests.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington said Omer Adam and Ishay Ribo, both Israeli singers, would join the rally from Israel. Debra Messing, an actress of Will & Grace fame, and Tovah Feldshuh, who won an Emmy for Law & Order, will also be part of the event's lineup.

Top-Level Security

The Metropolitan Police announced on Monday that streets around the mall would be closed to vehicle traffic for the day, while others in the surrounding areas were subject to parking restrictions and intermittent closures.

Muriel Bowser, the mayor of D.C., said during a press conference the same day that the Metropolitan Police had requested assistance from other law enforcement agencies and the National Guard to support traffic points.

"We continue to monitor; we expect a large gathering," she told reporters. "I think we can expect in the tens of thousands of people."

Both ABC and NBC News reported, citing official sources, that the event's Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) had been upgraded from a level three on Friday to one on Monday. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas was said to have signed off on the new designation.

SEAR levels range from five to one, with one being defined by the DHS as "significant events with national and/or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support." The Super Bowl game is annually graded as a SEAR 1 event.

Frank Figliuzzi, a retired FBI assistant director and national security analyst, said the SEAR 1 level meant "federal government agencies will play a major security role," likely "due to crowd size and VIPs."

The D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency was contacted via email for comment.

"The U.S. remains in a heightened threat environment and recent events reinforce that," a DHS spokesperson told Newsweek. "As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, we have seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions.

"Lone offenders, motivated by a range of violent ideologies, pose the most likely threat. We urge the public to stay vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activity to their local law enforcement."

ABC News quoted from a joint DHS-FBI special threat assessment for law enforcement concerning the event, which reportedly said while there was no "specific, actionable threat[s]," that "lone actors inspired by, or reacting to, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict pose the most likely threat to Americans, especially Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities in the United States."

The assessment reportedly said that events such as the March for Israel were "attractive" targets for foreign terror organizations and violent extremists.

In an October 25 analysis of the threat environment in the U.S. generally, the federal agencies expressed concern that "violent extremists and lone offenders motivated by or reacting to ongoing events" could target minority groups, noting instances of hoax bomb threats against houses of worship and violent rhetoric online.

"Tensions between Israel and the Palestinian territories have long been a source of calls for violence against Jewish, Arab American, and Muslim communities," it said. "This history, coupled with the current widespread sharing of graphic and disturbing content related to this conflict, increases the risk of incitement to violence in the United States."

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