Thousands of people demonstrate for Israel in the heart of New York
Thousands of people, mostly Jews, demonstrated this Thursday in Times Square in the heart of New York to support Israel in its current offensive against Gaza and to demand the release of the more than 200 hostages held by the Islamist movement Hamas October 7th. In a city where demonstrations rarely gather a few hundred people, today’s demonstration was one of the largest in recent memory and showed why New York is the second largest city in the world after Jerusalem in terms of the number of Jews.
The Israeli American Council, which called for the rally, rented several of the giant light screens that surround the famous square to project the Israeli flag or photos of some of the hostages held by Hamas for more than an hour. Participants waved hundreds of blue and white Israeli flags as well as the Stars and Stripes of the United States, and the most frequently shouted slogans included “Bring them home” and “Am Israel Jai” (the people of Israel remain, in Hebrew).
Senator Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, took a stand, flaunting his Hebrew faith (“I am the Jew who has risen to the highest level of power in the United States,” he announced) and warning against anti-Semitism. According to him, it is hidden and you return with each generation in one way or another. Schumer, who just returned from a trip to Israel, praised President Joe Biden (a Democrat like him) “who is doing great work for Israel,” and when those in attendance heard his name, they burst into applause.
After him, Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan took the floor, adopting a much harsher tone and promising that “Gaza will not have a moment of peace until the hostages are returned to us,” which Israel says are 203, according to Hamas There are 250, plus those who are in their power and those who are in the hands of Islamic Jihad. Erdan used his platform to crudely attack the UN itself, “which looks the other way in the current conflict” – and participants booed the organization – and in particular Secretary-General António Guterres: “Tomorrow he plans to go to the Rafah step – the Egypt of Gaza separates- as if your first priority was to help the terrorists. “Aren’t you ashamed?” he shouted.
Some relatives of prisoners held by Hamas were also invited to the stand, who, in a much more measured tone, called on the US government to work tirelessly to secure their release; One of them even admitted that his hostage son was being “treated well” by his Hamas captors. The New York police had deployed an imposing security structure with several barriers to entry to the demonstration, but it passed without incident and without the appearance of pro-Palestinian groups, as has been the case with other concentrations in recent days both in New York and elsewhere in the country .