Dancing in the face of terrorism: Jewish counter-protesters PARTY outside Israeli consulate in NYC to show ‘we’re not afraid of Hamas’ – while being screamed at by Palestinian activists chanting ‘death to Israel’
- Hundreds of pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters gathered in New York City
- They were separated by metal barriers outside the Israeli consulate on Monday
- Pro-Israel protestors chanted ‘go back to Gaza’ while pro-Palestine ones fumed
A group of pro-Israel demonstrators partied outside the Israeli consulate in New York City on Monday while being screamed at by pro-Palestine activists.
NYPD used metal barriers to separate the two factions and kept them on separate sides of the road to avoid violent clashes during the heated exchange.
Dozens of armed officers stood between the two pens, while passing motorists appeared to honk in support of the Jewish cause.
The scene bore a striking resemblance to the chaotic Times Square demonstration on Sunday that saw one protestor brandish a swastika.
At daybreak on Saturday, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel that killed hundreds and saw dozens of hostages taken.
A group of pro-Israel demonstrators partied outside the Israeli consulate in New York City on Monday while being screamed at by pro-Palestine activists
Hundreds of protestors clashed outside the Israeli embassy in Manhattan on Monday
The two sides were separated by metal barriers and forced to stand on opposite sides of the street
Pro-Israel protestors taunted ‘Go back to Gaza’ while pro-Palestine demonstrators responded: ‘Settlers, settlers, go back home, Palestine is ours alone’
Protestors lined 2nd Avenue, holding up signs and chanting. On the pro-Israel side of the protest, demonstrators waved the national flag – and clashed with a motorist.
The driver brandished a Palestinian flag through his front window as the protesters shouted: ‘How is Gaza doing now?’ and ‘Go back to Gaza!’
Pro-Palestine demonstrators across the block screamed back: ‘Settlers, settlers, go back home, Palestine is ours alone.’
They also chanted slogans like: ‘Netanyahu what do you say, how many kids will you kill today’ while beating drums.
Protestors lined 2nd Avenue, holding up signs, waving flags and chanting
On the pro-Israel side of the protest, demonstrators brandished the national flag
Protestors in support of Palestine shouted: ‘Netanyahu what do you say, how many kids will you kill today’ while banging drums
‘I’m so proud of how many people are showing up. It makes me feel like I’m on the right side of history,’ one pro-Palestine protestor said
The same protestor said that violence was not a new occurrence and asked Israelis to have sympathy ‘because my friends are also missing and I can’t find them’
Hamas said it was holding ‘dozens’ of captives in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli military later confirmed that hostages had been taken
A 21-year-old student named Chabad brought a hefty PA speaker to the protest and blasted dance music.
This prompted several Jews to perform the Am-Yisrael-Chai – a religious celebratory dance – amid an otherwise heated protest.
‘The Rabbi says that if you want to win something in life it has to be with a lot of positivity,’ Chabad told Dailymail.com. ‘That means just one little lap can take away a lot of dark things.
‘We’re trying to be happy because all the terrorists want us to be is sad and they want us to be depressed.
‘So we’re not going to let them win, this is a moral war. We want to win the war so we’ve got to be happy,’ the Montreal native explained.
‘All of us have relatives in the military, it’s not going to stop, we may as well be happy.’
He added: ‘It’s a very difficult time, it’s not simple, but this is all we can do. We’re waiting for the Messiah to come.’
Amid the soaring tensions, several Jews performed the Am-Yisrael-Chai, a religious celebratory dance, when music played
Demonstrators shouted slogans at a pro-Palestinian rally held across the street from the Consulate General of Israel
They advocated for the freeing of Palestinian prisoners from the Israeli-controlled West Bank
The Hamas attack on Israel came at a time of soaring tensions, as 2023 was the deadliest year on record for Palestine
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared war, but warned his people that ‘this war will take time. It will be difficult’
The Israeli counteroffensive killed at least 560 Palestinians by Monday morning
The energy was equally high across the street, where 20-year-old Rifal attended the protest dressed in a headscarf and face covering.
She said she joined the pro-Palestine pen to ‘stand in solidarity’ with her missing friends in Gaza.
‘I have a lot of friends on the ground in Palestine and I’ve been on the ground,’ the New Yorker told DailyMail.com.
‘I’m so proud of how many people are showing up. It makes me feel like I’m on the right side of history.’
Of the violence that exploded over the weekend, Rifal said: ‘If you have done your research on the occupation and have watched videos throughout the years then you know that this is not a new occurrence.
‘I sympathize with them (Israelis) on an individual level, yes, but I’ve been to Palestine and my friends there are going through similar things every day.’
The protester added that she was ‘strip-searched and humiliated for no reason’ by the Israel Defense Forces when she last visited the country.
She implored Israelis to have sympathy ‘because my friends are also missing and I can’t find them.’
Officials confirmed Monday that at least 900 Israelis had been killed and more than 2,000 injured
A 20-year-old protestor named Rifal said she joined the pro-Palestine pen to ‘stand in solidarity’ with her missing friends in Gaza
Scenes of clashing protestors mirrored Sunday’s Times Square’s demo, where one attendee flashed a Swastika at a group of Jewish people
NYPD were forced to physically separate some of the demonstrators
Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group launched a surprise attack on Israel, firing rockets and infiltrating the border on Saturday
Days later, people gathered at the Israeli mission in Manhattan to protest the the opposing views of the war
Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group launched a surprise attack on Saturday, firing rockets into Israel as hundreds of fighters infiltrated the border.
The country was thrown off guard on a major holiday called Simchat Torah, when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll.
Gunmen encroached on towns and communities outside the Gaza Strip, firing at civilians and IDF soldiers.
More than 250 people who had been attending a music festival in southern Israel were gunned down, their bodies left strewn in the dirt.
At daybreak on Saturday, gunmen encroached on towns and communities outside the Gaza Strip, firing at civilians and IDF soldiers
Hamas militants broke past the heavily guarded border by land, sea and air
The attack prompted ongoing retaliatory strikes by Israel on Gaza, killing hundreds
Hamas is an Islamist militant movement and one of the Palestinian territories’ two major political parties
The group governs more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
Protestors on both sides have called for an end to the war and peace for all
Among the festivalgoers was Shani Louk, a tattoo artist who was born in Israel but held a German passport.
Her name began to circulate on social media as her body was purportedly paraded around in the back of a truck beneath the boots of Hamas fighters.
Israeli officials confirmed Monday that at least 900 Israeli civilians and soldiers had been killed and more than 2,000 injured.
Hamas said it was holding ‘dozens’ of captives in the Gaza Strip, which the Israeli military later confirmed, but did not specify how many hostages had been taken.
In a televised address Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who declared the country to be at war – said the military would use all of its strength to counter Hamas, warning that ‘this war will take time. It will be difficult.’
The Israeli counteroffensive killed at least 560 Palestinians by Monday morning, with another 2,900 wounded, according to Palestinian health officials.
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