Palestinian supporters are calling for protests of a prominent pro-Israel conference this week in Dallas, denouncing the gathering as supporting genocide as the war in Gaza enters a second year.
The annual Global Conference for Israel has emerged as a flashpoint, with the Israel-Hamas war dividing the U.S. and protests rocking college campuses in Texas and nationwide. Organized by the Jewish National Fund, the conference begins Thursday at the Hilton Anatole, just north of downtown Dallas.
About 2,500 people are expected to attend the four-day event, which includes speeches by high-profile supporters of Israel, discussions about combating antisemitism and rebuilding parts of Israel, and a Shabbat dinner with Texas barbecue. This is the conference’s first time in Texas.
The gathering comes more than a year after Hamas’ brutal surprise attack on Oct. 7, in which militants killed some 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages in Israel. In response, Israel bombarded Gaza, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians and driving nearly 2 million from their homes as widespread hunger threatens the region. A lasting cease-fire has proved elusive.
Russell Robinson, chief executive officer for the Jewish National Fund, rebuffed calls by protesters to cancel the conference and said recent events only make the gathering more crucial.
“This is a time to talk about our hopes and dreams and our winning community,” Robinson told The Dallas Morning News by phone. “We are not anti-anybody. We are pro-everybody. We put our energy and power and time and money into doing great work.”
Tensions surrounding the conflict have spilled into other parts of the world. Last week, violence erupted in Amsterdam in what officials described as antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans. Israeli fans vandalized a taxi and burned a Palestinian flag. After the game, people on scooters kicked and beat Israeli fans, sending some to the hospital and prompting emergency evacuations of Israelis.
Even before the latest violence, tight security is a regular feature of the annual conference, which moves to a new city every year, Robinson said, and this year will be no different. Organizers are hiring private security, and Dallas police plan to monitor the conference and any protests.
The Jewish National Fund, a Zionist organization, is best known for its blue donation boxes in synagogues and Hebrew schools across the country. The group is not affiliated with but does work with the Jerusalem-based Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, which was founded in 1901 to purchase land for Jewish people in what was Ottoman Syria.
The U.S. organization is also separate from the Jewish National Fund of Canada, which lost its tax-exempt status after an audit found it used charitable donations to build infrastructure for the Israeli military, a violation of Canada’s tax rules. An appeals court recently upheld the decision, but the Canadian organization says it is considering appealing to a higher court.
While the U.S. organization is largely focused on building parks and planting trees in Israel’s north and south, critics note that it has funded projects in the West Bank. The West Bank is home to three million Palestinians and has for decades been a battleground between Israelis and Palestinians. Some consider Israel’s growing settlements in the West Bank a violation of international law.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, the U.S. Jewish National Fund has also built 150 bomb shelters to protect residents and provided therapy, food, shelter and clothing to those affected by the war. Such support will be a major focus of this week’s gathering in Dallas, Robinson said.
About a dozen groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace and Palestinian Youth Movement, have asked the Hilton to shut down the conference, but a Hilton spokesperson said in an email the hotel “does not adopt or endorse the views of any individuals or third-party groups and organizations.”
Protesters have taken issue with some of the conference’s speakers, including Shai Davidai, an assistant professor at Columbia University, who was temporarily barred from campus this year for harassing and intimidating the school’s employees. Other speakers include Rabbi David Wolpe, with the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, actor Michael Rapaport and journalist Yoseph Haddad.
William Josef, with the North Texas chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, said he wants to separate his faith’s religious and cultural heritage from Zionism.
“The JNF has lied to our people, pretending that their blue boxes in many of our synagogues merely raise funds to plant trees in the Holy Land — ignoring the fact that these trees are planted on stolen land, often to cover up the ruins of displaced Palestinian villages,” Josef said in a statement.
Dallas police spokeswoman Jennifer Pryor said police will monitor the conference, as is typical of all large events. Officers will only take action in the case of criminal offenses against people or property, or if demonstrators illegally impede traffic or try to shut down a street.
“The Dallas Police Department will not interfere with a lawful and peaceful assembly of any individuals or groups expressing their first amendment rights,” Pryor said in an email. “Our main priority remains the safety of the people who live, work, and visit the city of Dallas.”
