Jewish Federation of Detroit meeting with lawyers after bus company strands travelers

Pro-Israel supporters from Michigan abandoned at airport

Hundreds of people who planned on attending a pro-Israel rally in Washington D.C. had their travel stymied after the Jewish Federation of Detroit said the buses hired to pick up the supporters never showed up.

(FOX 2) - The group that helped organize travel from Michigan to a large pro-Israel rally in Washington D.C. says it is discussing next steps with its attorneys after the bus company hired to transport people failed to show up.

The Jewish Federation of Detroit claimed the bus drivers deliberately didn't show up after learning what the event they would be transporting people to was for. With some calling it a "deliberate and malicious" act in the hours after the company's failure to show up, the federation says it is "assessing future steps with our professional counsel regarding these issues."

In a post on Facebook, the federation said participants who had hoped to join the "March for Israel" rally last Tuesday experienced "significant delays and inconveniences" on the trip.

"As you have heard, many drivers from the bus company in DC failed to fulfill their obligation to take our travelers to the National Mall," it wrote online.

Close to a thousand Jewish Detroiters had planned on attending the rally, where several leaders spoke out in support of Israel. The country is currently embroiled in a brutal conflict with the extremist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

They landed at Dulles Airport in Virginia, a common stop for those visiting Washington D.C. Some delays in getting people home were due to a high volume of traffic at the airport. Many of those who traveled weren't able to come home until a day later on early Wednesday morning.