Times Square Witnesses a Substantial Gathering as Rival Protests Concerning The Conflict in Israel Draw in Hundreds

Times Square was filled with hundreds of demonstrators on Sunday afternoon, expressing their solidarity with the Palestinian cause. They chanted slogans like, "Resistance is justifiable when a people are under occupation!"

In Times Square on Sunday, the turmoil in the Middle East found its echo, as pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators confronted each other in fervent protests.

The pro-Palestinian rally, held in the aftermath of a surprise attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians, garnered strong criticism from elected officials, including Governor Hochul, who decried the event as "repugnant and morally abhorrent."

Times Square was filled with hundreds of demonstrators on Sunday afternoon, expressing their solidarity with the Palestinian cause. They chanted slogans like, "Resistance is justifiable when a people are under occupation!"

Anne Lamb, 68, remarked, "According to international law, the Palestinians have endured over 60 years of occupation, and they possess every right to defend themselves."

Dave Schmauch, aged 59, expressed, "There has been an injustice towards the Palestinian people. I don't condone terrorism or the harming of innocent individuals, but when I contemplate the enduring conditions that the people in Gaza have lived with for generations, I can't help but think I might react similarly because they have nothing left to lose."

The rally in Times Square appeared to create divisions among New York Democrats. Several politicians, including Bronx Representative Ritchie Torres, criticized the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America for organizing the demonstration so soon after Palestinian militants killed around 700 Israelis and took at least 150 others as hostages.

On Saturday, the congressman expressed his disapproval on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, stating, "The NYC-DSA is planning to hold a rally ... glorifying the terrorism of Hamas as 'resistance.' Never mind the hundreds of Israeli civilians and children who have been murdered, wounded, abducted, and terrorized. Their lives mean nothing to the DSA. Nothing."

He referred to the NYC-DSA as "an antisemitic stain on the soul of America's largest city."

The Israeli Consulate in New York organized its own rally on Sunday afternoon, held on E. 43rd St., just a stone's throw away from the pro-Palestinian demonstration, where the NYPD had erected barricades.

Orah Burack, 56, expressed her dismay, saying, "Kids, children, taken into Gaza, desecration of dead bodies in the streets — it's disgusting."

No incidents of violence were reported at either gathering, although tensions ran high. A man identifying himself as Aviv, aged 45, voiced his outrage at the pro-Palestinian protest, stating, "It's just ridiculous; I can't believe they are standing here after slaughtering people. Have some reverence. Let people mourn. How dare you!"

During a briefing with city officials on Sunday, Mayor Adams stated that the NYPD had not received any reports of threats to New York but would dispatch additional resources to potential trouble spots. He added, "Every citizen will receive the appropriate protection."

During the briefing, tensions briefly flared when Councilman Ari Kagan criticized the DSA for organizing the rally and called on his DSA-affiliated colleagues to condemn it, as reported by a source to the Daily News.

In response, Alexa Aviles, a Council member endorsed by DSA, pushed back, stating, "No one — including the DSA — is celebrating death," and she characterized Kagan's remarks as "irresponsible and disgusting," according to the source who was familiar with the call.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the country to be formally at war, and Israel initiated counterstrikes in Palestinian territory, leading to the reported death of at least 300 people.

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