Florida dentist fired after posters of kidnapped Israelis torn down
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A Florida dentist caught on camera tearing down posters of kidnapped Israelis at the hands of Hamas terrorists has been fired from his job.
The video was recorded Tuesday evening in Miami’s Brickell neighbourhood and shared to social media to identify two people removing the posters.
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Florida dentist fired after posters of kidnapped Israelis torn down Back to video
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“I watched them take it down and I recognized one of the men, and that’s when I freaked out and realized I needed to do something,” Blake Warman, who filmed the men, told Miami’s NBC affiliate WTVJ.
The footage was shared by Stop Antisemitism, a New York City organization fighting hate, and Coral Gables dentist Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa and an Instagram model were identified.
“I believe it’s not right,” Juan Carlos Izquierdo, the dental practice’s owner, said. “It’s against our position on the entire situation.”
“Later on, I got a call saying he wanted to explain and that after he explained, everything would be cleared, and I told him I don’t want to hear it,” he added.
The fliers, posted to trees and utility poles throughout South Florida, are part of a project by Israeli artists to highlight the hostages taken by Hamas during their terrorist attack on Oct. 7.
A lawyer for ElKoussa said the dentist wanted to make sure the posters didn’t help spread violence in the area.
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“He wanted to ensure that there’s no conflict here in Florida,” attorney Hassan Shibly said. “And when he saw those posters, he was just concerned that they may lead to an escalation in conflict.
“He removed them after speaking to law enforcement, saying, ‘Listen, there’s a lot of tension in the country right now. I don’t think there should be pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli posters hanging around, they may spark conflict. So what should I do?’ They said, ‘Listen, you can remove them if you feel unsafe.'”
The lawyer added ElKoussa only wants peace and unity and didn’t want his actions to offend anyone.
“He was well-intentioned with his actions but he genuinely does apologize to those who misunderstood his intentions,” he said.
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