Jewish man dies after dispute at duelling Israel-Palestinian protests

Image source, Jonathan Oswaks

A 69-year-old Jewish man in California has died following a clash between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrators.

Witnesses told Ventura County police that Paul Kessler was involved in a confrontation with counter-protesters.

“During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground,” a police statement said. He died in hospital on Monday.

The county medical examiner ruled the cause of death was blunt force trauma “and the manner of death homicide”.

Authorities called the incident isolated but said they have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles said that Kessler was hit by a megaphone wielded by a pro-Palestinian protester.

That has not been confirmed by police.

Rabbi Michael Barclay of Temple Ner Simcha, a synagogue close to the altercation, urged for calm until the police were able to complete their investigation.

He said the community should not allow Kessler’s death to “become a spark that starts an inferno”.

Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of the Los Angeles Council on American-Islamic Relations organisation, called the loss “tragic and shocking”.

“We join local Jewish leaders in calling on all individuals to refrain from jumping to conclusions, sensationalising such a tragedy for political gains, or spreading rumours that could unnecessarily escalate tensions that are already at an all-time high,” he said.

Kessler’s death has occurred during a tense time in the US over the Israel-Hamas war.

Officials have warned of rising threats and religious-based hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim people since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.

More than 1,400 people were killed and more than 200 kidnapped, says Israel.

In Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza, more than 10,000 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Christopher Wray, the FBI director, told a Senate panel last week that the terror threat to Americans has been “elevated throughout 2023”, but has risen again “to a whole other level” since the war began.

Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, senior Israeli lawmakers, also commented on the death, saying it should serve as a warning of the rise of antisemitism.

Kessler died at the side of a busy intersection in Thousand Oaks, California, a city about 40 miles (65km) from downtown Los Angeles.

Demonstrators supporting Israel and those protesting over the rising number of Palestinian deaths have gathered each weekend to support their sides of the conflict.

Police are scheduled to give a press conference on Tuesday to provide additional information about the death.

Authorities were working their way through conflicting witness statements and have been unable to identify a video of the altercation, Rabbi Barclay said, citing a conversation with local police.