Pro-Palestine and Israel protestors clash in NYC’s Washington Square park as flags are lit on fire and chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’ emerge
The protests come after an explosion a hospital in Gaza that Hamas claims killed at least 500 people, sparking widespread outrage.
Video shows some of them shouting ‘Allahu Akbar!’ as they burned the Jewish state’s Star of David flag.
Reports have suggested that there are hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters and dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators in the park.
The leaders of the pro-Palestinian faction are NYU Students for Justice in Palestine. They are marching along with other campus organizations to criticize the university’s president for denouncing the Hamas attack.
A pro-Palestinian protester was filmed burning the Israeli flag as demonstrators on both sides of the divide marched in Washington Square Park in New York City on Wednesday evening.
Several pro-Palestinian protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar!” as they burned the Jewish state’s Star of David flag
President Linda Mills has been accused of “erasing” Palestinians in her comments on the shocking Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people.
“In her recent statement, President (Linda) Mills resolves to continue this trend of dismissal and blatant erasure of the experiences of Palestinians, both at NYU and in Palestine,” the student group wrote.
“The statement makes no mention of the excessive violence against Palestinians in recent days, despite 413 Palestinians being killed in Gaza in the past 48 hours. It is designed to paint an untrue and misrepresentative picture in which ‘terrorist attacks’ only occurred against Israeli civilians.”
The huge crowd eventually came face to face with the pro-Israel supporters. Other than the flag burning, things appeared peaceful, but the NYPD tried to create separation between the groups, according to police NBC New York.
Some protesters held signs demanding that the US cut funding for Israel, while another held a sign in memory of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old from Illinois who was stabbed by a man believed to have been influenced by the reporting on last weekend’s attacks.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah, which waged war with Israel in 2006, called for a day of protests in Beirut on Tuesday in response to the attack.
Islamic Jihad denied that one of its missiles was involved in the hospital blast.
In denouncing what the group said was an attack by Israel, Hezbollah said in its statement: “The attack reveals the true criminal face of this entity and its sponsor… the United States, which bears direct and full responsibility for this massacre.’
The huge crowd eventually came face to face with the pro-Israel supporters
Some protesters held signs demanding that the US cut funding to Israel
One protester held a sign in memory of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old from Illinois who was stabbed by a man believed to have been influenced by coverage of last weekend’s attacks
Supporters of Palestine attend a vigil in Washington Square Park, Manhattan
Video from the hospital showed fire engulfing the building and the hospital grounds littered with bodies, including many young children. Hundreds of people were reportedly taking shelter in the hospital at the time of the explosion, which Hamas has called a “horrific massacre” and a “crime of genocide.”
About 6,000 Palestinians were sheltered in the hospital, which is reportedly funded by the Anglican Church.
The strike, coming shortly after at least six people were killed in an attack on a nearby UN-run school during Israeli bombardments, escalates the 11-day war that has already claimed thousands of lives on both sides.
It also happened just hours before US President Joe Biden was due to reach the Middle East for high-stakes talks on the war, which were canceled as top host Jordan and the wider region mourned the victims, the White House said.
Biden’s visit to Israel still continued.
New York City, like many melting pot immigrant communities across the country, has been feeling anxious about the attacks over the past week.
Several Palestinian Americans interviewed Friday in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Arab population said the atmosphere had been tense over the past week.
Jumana Alkaram said she has not been personally threatened, but that: “I know that if I were to demonstrate my heritage or the Palestinian flag, there would be some kind of threat. Because the majority has the support of Israel and does not have the full, legitimate story about what is happening in Gaza.”
In New York City, a Palestinian restaurant, Ayat, was forced to disconnect its phone after receiving “non-stop” threatening voicemails, according to co-owner Abdul Elenani.
A mural of a crying Palestinian hangs on the storefront, and the menu includes calls to “end the occupation.”
On Friday, a man entered the dining room and shouted “terrorist” at the people behind the counter, Elenani said.
Still, the hostile reception was overshadowed by the support he received from his neighbors, many of whom are Jewish and share his views on minimizing civilian deaths, he said.
“In New York, we all live together, work together, grow together,” Elenani said. “And we all want this violence to stop.”