Group To Protest Israeli Consul General's Speech

Two local groups will protest a speech by the Israeli Consul General to the U.S. this evening at the Jewish Community Center.Ibrahim Imam of the Lousiville Committee for Peace in the Middle East says the protest was planned long before the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla."The talk, we feel, is giving a platform for a state, which is the State of Israel, who has basically violated every human rights law and basically violated every international law," he says.Gaza is blocked by the Israeli navy, and Israeli Special Forces boarded an aid flotilla Monday. At least nine passengers were killed and seven troops were reportedly injured. Consul General Daniel Kutner told WFPL the troops fired in self-defense when they were attacked by pro-Gaza activists."I don't question their right to protest," he says. "I think it's important to stress that the protest shouldn't impair the right to free expression…also mine, as well as theirs."Imam says the protest is only aimed at the state of Israel and not at the Jewish community in Louisville or elsewhere.