While the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were holding a $1,000 a plate fundraiser at the ritzy Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan, hundreds of Palestine solidarity activists from a wide array of organizations took to the streets to protest Israeli war crimes, the blockade of Gaza, and the occupation of Palestine.
Dressed in black and carrying signs that read “Gaza Hungers for Justice,” and “Israeli War Criminals Feast at the Waldorf,” protesters circled the Waldorf Astoria in a somber, moving procession only punctuated by the sounds of drums and gongs. The demonstrators also held up signs highlighting the findings of the Goldstone report, which stated that Israeli forces bombed the Gaza Zoo, used white phosphorus against civilians in Gaza during “Operation Cast Lead,” and killed innocent Palestinians.
The Indypendent
A commenter on Mondoweiss (David Samel) was among the protestors composed of many Jews:
ReplyDelete"It was a very well-organized protest. Hundreds of us held signs and walked the block around the Waldorf for about an hour and a half, among a great deal of rush hour foot traffic. We were instructed not to engage hecklers, which was great advice. There were about a dozen or two counter-demonstrators, and several of them were ranting, more and more hysterically when none of us answered them. One woman was screaming at a Jewish man next to me that he could not be buried in a Jewish cemetery because of his heresy. We got lectures about God granting the land to the Jewish people and how we were supporting terrorism, racism and fascism. There were a number of people taking photos and videos, and a few were clearly from the other camp, attempting to intimidate us, I suppose. I was walking with an Arab-American woman and her college-age daughter, and several times I joked with them about how embarrassing I found these lunatics. Their vitriol, however, was quite genuine. We looked quite dignified in comparison. I think it’s great that Israeli political and military leaders know that even if they will not face any criminal jeopardy here, a trip to the US will invite protests and invigorate the Palestinian justice movement. Whichever direction Ashkenazi approached, he must have seen our impressive numbers."
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/03/in-ny-silent-protest-greets-architect-of-gaza-onslaught.html#comments