When I first learned that the New York Mets were hosting a fundraiser for the nonprofit Hebron Fund at Citi Field in support of the Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, I honestly assumed it was a joke, albeit a poor one. When I realized this was an actual, planned event, I still found it almost impossible to believe. This is because, even aside from the devastating impact of settlement expansion on the prospects for peace in the region, I have had the misfortune to see, repeatedly and at first hand, the fruits of the Hebron Fund’s labors.
New York, NY - Over fifty human rights advocates gathered outside the office of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig in midtown Manhattan at lunch time today to demand that he prevent the New York Mets from hosting a Citi Field fundraiser for a Jewish group that supports violence and racism against Palestinians. The protest came two weeks after eleven organizations sent a letter to the Mets and Commissioner Selig asking them to cancel the event for the Hebron Fund at the Caesars Club, which is located directly above the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field. The groups said that the event would “taint” the Mets and Major League Baseball’s commitment to diversity and equality, and insult the memory of Jackie Robinson.
Over fifty human rights advocates gathered outside the office of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig in midtown Manhattan at lunch time to demand that he prevent the New York Mets from hosting a Citi Field fundraiser for a Jewish group that supports violence and racism against Palestinians.
Adalah-NY, a group supporting Palestinian rights in the bitterly contested West Bank of Israel, is turning its sights on the New York Mets after the organization agreed to host a fund-raising dinner at its Caesar’s Club restaurant for a group that supports Israeli settlers in the same area.
Eleven peace and civil rights organizations, including Adalah-NY, have asked the Mets to cancel a fundraiser that benefits Hebron and probably the nearby illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba.
As if the Mets didn't have enough to worry about, they're getting grief from a pro-Palestinian group because of a fundraiser taking place this weekend at Citi Field for the Hebron Fund.
