Israel Matzav

'Long live Palestine': 'Palestinian' flag comes to Passaic county, New Jersey

The 'Palestinian' flag (the 'flag of jihad against the Jews') was raised over the city hall of Paterson, New Jersey on Sunday. Although Paterson is a heavily Arab-Muslim city, it is also the county seat of heavily Jewish Passaic county, New Jersey.

The raising of a flag at City Hall on Sunday was like any of the dozen or so similar events held in the city each year in a nod to its diversity.

Except it wasn’t.

That’s because the flag raised — for the first time in Paterson, and possibly at any city hall in the United States — was Palestinian. Symbols or assertions of Palestinian statehood are fraught with political sensitivities, and Khader Abuassab, the event’s organizer, said he received harassing phone calls before Sunday’s event.

But no problems were on display Sunday when the flag was raised in the rain before elected officials and about 150 people. People cheered, danced, shared sweets and shouted, “Long Live Palestine.”

“Palestine is our country and we are proud of that,” said Clifton resident Salwa Ramadan. “We’re happy [to be] recognized finally.”

You might recall that a year ago, there were overtones of anti-Semitism in the reelection campaign of local Congressman Bill Pascrell (D).  Guess who was front and center at Sunday's event.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, and Assemblyman Thomas Giblin, D-Clifton, showed up — with Pascrell presenting a letter of Special Congressional Recognition and Giblin presenting an Assembly resolution marking the event.

I have been told that a 'letter of Special Congressional Recognition' is something that any Congresscritter has the right to present. So is Congress now endorsing the jihad against the Jews?

What could go wrong?

Labels: American Muslims, Bill Pascrell, Palestinian flag, Passaic

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:13 AM