March 27, 2013

(JTA) — Billboards calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel were erected this week at 25 train stations in suburban New York and Connecticut.

The billboards that went up Tuesday, on the first day of Passover, in Metro North train stations are sponsored by a group called American Muslims for Palestine.

The ad also calls Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza a form of apartheid, and features a quote by South African social rights activist Desmond Tutu.

They are scheduled to run for one month, and reportedly were timed to coincide with President Obama’s visit to Israel.

“The campaign against U.S. aid for Israel targets neither Jews nor Passover, but rather Israeli apartheid and injustice. And the best way to honor Passover, which celebrates Jewish liberation from ancient oppression, is to champion Palestinian human rights today,” said Michael Letwin of Jews for Palestinian Right of Return, who spoke at Tuesday’s launch of the billboards at the Metro North Harlem station.

The ads come several months after billboards that accused Israel of confiscating Palestinian land were displayed in some of the same stations, Those ads were posted under the auspices of The Committee for Peace in Israel and Palestine. There have been several exchanges of ads between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups at Metro North train stations, 
 

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