A massive mob of anti-Israeli protesters — including some proudly waving terrorist flags — stormed through New York City on September 2, 2024. (FNTV)
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(by Desheania Andrews, Aneeta Bhole, NY Post) – New York City is bracing for widespread anti-Israel protests planned for the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Protests are already expected on Saturday, in the lead up to the anniversary of the devastating terror attack, with events organized for Times Square, outside Google’s Manhattan headquarters and at Court Square Park in Queens.
Many anti-Israel groups are planning demonstrations for Monday, in particular, the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), which is orchestrating a nationwide “Week of Rage” on college campuses beginning on Oct. 7.
Meanwhile, one of the most outspoken anti-Israel organizations “Within Our Lifetime” (WOL) called on protestors to “flood New York City for Palestine” to mark the anniversary of the assault that killed around 1,200 people in Israel.
Just last week, WOL’s followers amassed in the hundreds for a demonstration outside the Loews Regency New York Hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was staying before addressing the United Nations the following morning. [According to the group’s own videos, the hundreds of protesters repeatedly shouted “Netanyahu, we’re gonna get you.”]
“On Monday October 7th Flood New York City For Palestine, stand with Gaza and uplift the Palestinian people resisting genocide by any means necessary since 1948,” the group wrote in a post to X.
“Call out of work and school, take to the streets and join us throughout the day.”
WOL has asked those attending to “confront the forces of imperialism and zionism and let the world know that NYC stands with [Palestinians] heroic struggle in the face of annihilation.”
The protests are expected to be spread out across the city from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. including at Wall Street, City Hall, Washington Square Park, Union Square, Grand Central, Times Square and Columbus Circle.
Law-enforcement sources said cops would be out in full force, including working extra shifts and on their days off, and that some colleges would be doubling up their own security.
The anniversary is likely to exacerbate already inflamed tensions on campuses – further heightened by Iran’s unprecedented missile attack against the Jewish State.
Some New York University students on Friday admitted to The Post that while they don’t know a lot about the issue and don’t have significant ties to the region, they’d be showing up to “experience [the protests] for themselves.”
“I’ll be there. I don’t have family in Gaza and that’s not my family culture but I have friends that have been affected by the war,” one student said.
“I don’t feel educated enough to know exactly who’s right and wrong in this but if they are fighting for anyone’s freedoms then they are protesting for the right reasons, in my opinion,” said another. …
The NYPD said earlier this week that it was beefing up security at synagogues and mosques ahead of Rosh Hashanah — a two day long holiday marking the Jewish new year that began on Wednesday night.
Mayor Eric Adams announced the extra precautions at a press briefing earlier that day, which the city referred back to when asked about the upcoming protests.
“While we acknowledge that the city will respect and protect people’s right to peacefully protest, there will be a zero tolerance for those who violate the law, impede traffic and damage property while doing so,” Adams said.
The mayor said people threatened at their places of work, worships or any place will not be tolerated and stressed that the NYPD is working with law enforcement partners at the city, state and federal levels.
Sensitive locations will have additional cameras to complement the 80,000 cameras in the NYPD Domain Awareness system, officials said.
“There will be many protections that you will see, and there will be many that you will not see. We will have an omnipresence and a real, visible presence of uniform personnel,” Adams added.
— Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Joe Marino
Published at nypost .com on Oct. 4, 2024. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
Questions
NOTE TO STUDENTS: Before answering the questions, read the “Background” and “Resources” below.
1. Who is planning protests for October 7 in NYC? (Name two of the groups planning protests.)
2. What is the significance of this date – what happened on this date? Be specific.
3. For what reasons are the groups protesting? What is their goal? Be specific.
4. Protesters in cities across the U.S. carry signs with messages like: “Stop Israel War in Palestine” and “Stop Genocide” – and say they are standing up against the “annihilation” of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Consider the reality of the horrific terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023. Re-read para. 12-14. What would you tell the college students about why they should be protesting against Hamas and not against Israel?
5. Why do you think Pro-Palestinian protesters ignore/refuse to acknowledge the horrific murders and atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists – as well as the fact that they are still holding hostages in Gaza?
Background
What happened on October 7?
On October 7, 2023, thousands of armed Hamas terrorists tore down large parts of the Gaza security fence using tractors, RPGs and explosives and invaded southern Israel. Simultaneously, Hamas terrorists in Gaza fired thousands of rockets toward Israel.
Some 1,500 terrorists successfully broke through the fence in vehicles and by foot. Some used motorized paragliders to fly over the fence, and others attempted to invade through the sea, aiming for Israel’s Zikim Beach.
The terrorists split up and made their way to a number of Israeli towns and IDF bases surrounding Gaza. That is when the massacre began. They invaded the towns, shooting everything in sight. They broke into civilian homes, shooting, burning, raping and beheading. Over 1,300 civilians were murdered, and over 200 were abducted. Hamas terrorists briefly took control of about 10 Israeli towns, terrorizing and brutalizing their residents.
Simultaneously, additional terrorists drove on to the Nova Music Festival, which took place in a nearby open area. Partygoers were waking up to the sound of sirens and attempting to evacuate due to the threat of rockets. Many of them did not reach safety. The terrorists fired indiscriminately at the thousands of civilians who came from all over the world to celebrate peace through music.
They massacred hundreds, raped young women, brutalized bodies, and abducted many. 260 bodies were later found in the area of the festival, most of them belonging to young men and women—innocent youth.
IDF forces operated to neutralize the terrorists and thwart their infiltration; however, the terrorists were also ambushing IDF bases, killing soldiers and hurling grenades and explosives. Still, field observers used a sniper sighting system, tanks fired shells, and combat helicopters and special forces were deployed to the scene.
The State of Israel has never encountered such a large-scale, calculated attack on the Gaza front.
Many were lost not only during the initial attacks but also during the prolonged, bloody battles to regain control of the towns and bases surrounding Gaza, clear them from terrorists and rescue as many hostages held in Israeli territory as possible. When forces were able to regain control of the towns, they were faced with grotesque sights of Hamas’ pure violence that were left behind.
Cribs and baby carriers were found bloodstained. Families were found embracing each other, lifeless. Pets were left behind, among them a dog refusing to leave a child’s bed, waiting for its owners who will never return.
October 7th will forever be remembered as a dark day in Israel’s history and in humanity’s history. A reminder that there are humans capable of utterly inhumane things. (from idf.il/eng)
On October 7, 2023, as part of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 251 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip, including children, women, and elderly people. In addition to hostages with only Israeli citizenship, almost half of the hostages are foreign nationals or have multiple citizenships. Some hostages were Negev Bedouins. The precise ratio of soldiers and civilians among the captives is unknown. The captives are likely being held in different locations in the Gaza Strip. (from wikipedia)
Resources
Yifat Zailer, cousin of Shiri Bibas, was kidnapped by Hamas along with her sons – 4 year old Ariel and nine-month-old Kfir. Shiri’s husband Yarden Bibas was taken separately. Shiri’s cousin Yifat Zailer said:
“Something broke inside of me on Oct. 7. I never believed this kind of cruelty and violence could be justified as an act of freeing Palestine. I believed in freeing Palestine my entire life, in a two-state solution. This is how you free Palestine? By kidnapping a nine-month-old baby from his home? We cannot legitimize terror, we cannot legitimize jihadi groups who only cherish death.”
Bat-Sheva Yahalomi, along with her daughter and her baby managed to escape as they were being kidnapped by Hamas. Her son Eitan, 12, was released from Hamas captivity on Nov. 27 in a hostage swap for Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel for previous terrorist acts. While captive, Eitan was forced to watch videos of Hamas’s atrocities, threatened at gunpoint and beaten when he cried. Yahalomi’s husband, Ohad, turned 50 in Hamas captivity and is one of two dual French-Israeli citizens held by Hamas. Yahalomi said:
“The two hardest things are not knowing about Ohad [my husband] but also knowing how they [the Hamas terrorists] treated the children; I can’t think about how they treat the men. We didn’t choose this war, we were forced to fight. It was not even a fight, they came into our houses and took us, women, babies, children and old people, in our pajamas.”
(Read more at: “We survived, but we can’t heal until this ends“)
Read “Are the Hostages Prisoners of War?”
On October 7th, 2023, over 240 innocent civilians were abducted from Israel into Gaza by Hamas. Aged 9 months to 85 years, they were taken during the brutal terrorist attack on Israel. Some were released in November in an exchange with Hamas – 101 still remain captive. Visit kidnappedfromisrael.com for photos. How many of their stories have you seen in the news over the past year?
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