Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Los Angeles and Manhattan this week to protest the recent actions of the Israeli government after members of Hamas and other radical Palestinians attacked Israeli police and civilians over the last few weeks.
The groups protested outside of the Consulate General of Israel in New York and California, chanting antisemitic slurs and calling for the destruction of the Jewish state. Many blame these recent protests and social media for the increase in hate crimes against Jews and shifting perspective of many Americans on the political Left ever since the previous round of attacks by Hamas against Israel in May of 2021.
Outside of the Israeli consulate in West LA, protesters were screaming the phrase “long live the Intifada," a series of uprisings where Islamic and secular Palestinian groups in the West Bank and Gaza stripped engaged in brutal terrorist activities against the Israeli military personnel and civilians. Then they declared in unison that they were not interested in a two-state solution and wanted the entire land to be “freed” and “liberated” from Israel. The protesters stated, “no peace on stolen land” indicating that they were not interested in any peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The declaration by these radical pro-Palestinian groups for no two-state solution lines up with terrorist organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and even the Islamic Republic of Iran, as they do not recognize Israel’s existence while also calling for its complete destruction.
Outside of the Israeli consulate in Manhattan, protesters rallied to support Palestinian resistance and liberation using “any means necessary.” The group called for a “global Intifada,” which would mean the use of terrorist activities against all Israelis and Jewish people. Protesters used antiemetic slurs against certain media outlets, calling them part of the “Zionist media.” They chanted with drums and pro-Palestinian propaganda phrases like, “From the River to the Sea” and “Israel, go to hell.”
Protesters in California and New York marched on the sidewalks, dragging the Israeli flag as they walked, telling local reporters that they “don't want to be occupied anymore.” In New York, one protester set fire to an Israeli flag and dragged it across the pavement while others joined to dance on the flag.
In 2021, the Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched rockets at Israel after inciting riots in Jerusalem, claiming that Israelis were threatening Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. The ongoing missile barrage by Hamas, which targeted and injured civilians and their homes, sparked international antisemitism targeting Jewish communities in the United States, particularly in places like California and New York. Jewish Americans were targeted, harassed, and beaten by pro-Palestinian protesters using antisemitic slurs.
In May of 2021, a violent brawl took place outside a Beverly Grove sushi restaurant in Los Angeles where pro-Palestinian individuals drove by waving Palestinian flags and yelling slurs at restaurant-goers, whom they believed were Jewish. The individuals were dressed in all black clothing and descended on sidewalk diners yelling antisemitic profanity about Israelis and Jews and began physically harassing ordinary individuals. The pro-Palestinian group then threw bottles and other items at the restaurant goers, chanting “death to the Jews” and “free Palestine.” Thanks to videos posted online, the incident, which sent two of the victims defending Jews to the hospital, one in serious condition, went viral on social media.
After Hamas and its followers began rioting and attacking Israeli civilians and Israeli security troops on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, the same pro-Palestinian protesters once again took to the streets to chant antiemetic slurs against Israel, accusing the Jewish state of oppressing Palestinians. The protesters in California and New York repeated antisemitic statements from past and current Palestinian terrorist organizations like the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas, and Islamic Jihad.
These protesters have found a resting place in the Democratic Party where various members of Congress like Rashida Talib, Ilhan Omar and others have supported these protest movements and helped elect members of Congress who are deeply and openly anti-Israel.
