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Paterson, Schumer Join Pro-Israel Rally in Midtown

Thousands of people who support Israel's actions gathered near the Israeli Consulate yesterday afternoon. Governor David Paterson, one of many elected officials on hand, wore a red hat, which NY1 explains "symboliz[e] the red alerts many in Israel experience day after day, under rocket fire from Hamas-controlled Gaza." He said, "We recognize the right of the state of Israel to protect itself. We recognize the right of the men and women of that great state to protect its own children." Paterson added, "For the last three and a half years, Israel's been bombarded daily by a number of rockets coming from Gaza. The founding charter of Hamas calls for the obliteration of the state of Israel."

Senator Charles Schumer asked the crowd, "What country would be asked not to defend itself? Would any country that had rockets launched at it day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year be told, 'Let the rockets continue? Just sit down and talk?" People also yelled, according to the AP, "Israel yes, Hamas no!"

In Times Square, there was a smaller pro-Palestinian demonstration of about 150. One protester said, "I am here to stop the massacre in Gaza. It has to stop right now." A fight broke out when someone "stomped on a Palestinian flag"—ten people were arrested and seven cops suffered minor injuries. And today, it's reported that Israeli troops have moved into Gaza City.

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  • NannyState

    Just let them kill each other. Who gives a shit anymore?

  • FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

    http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12853965&source=most_commented

    Israel's war in Gaza

    Gaza: the rights and wrongs

    Dec 30th 2008

    From The Economist print edition

  • Craig#1

    Palestinian terrorists are GUILTY of the attempted murders of thousands of Israelis, as well as guilty of the murders of many Israelis, and foreign visitors to Israel over the past few months and years.

    The Economist article is a JOKE! The author didn't even have the balls to SIGN IT! Who wrote it? It's anonymous for a reason. There are so many things wrong with that opinion article, that I don't know where to start.

    "On proportionality, the numbers speak for themselves—up to a point. After the first three days, some 350 Palestinians had been killed and only four Israelis. "

    Considering the Palestinian terrorist groups have fired 8,000+ rockets and mortars, committed hundreds of shooting attacks, stabbings and other violent crimes over the past few years, that makes them guilty of the attempted of THOUSANDS of people.

  • inoyourider

    All Hamas has to do is stop shooting rockets.

    If what they really want is water and electricity for their people why do they shoot rockets at Israel?

    Someone please make a case for me that Hamas shooting rockets at Israel is the logical thing to do in order to provide food and water for their people.

    Its BS. Why was the school struck? Because most likely Hamas was trying to use their own civilians as a shield for their BS ideology and weapons. The people of Palestine are the true sufferers, both at the hands of Israel and Hamas.

  • FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/13/gaza-israel-egypt-sinai

    New York Post and New York Daily News are manipulators, Americans must be critical thinkers and we must fight for America again. Paterson, Bloomberg are parasites that don't give a damn about NYC and its residents.

  • Champion

    Day-by-day, the parallel between Palestinians and Native Americans becomes more pronounced. I wonder if the incoming Likud Prime Minister has big Casino ideas...

  • grandzu

    How else can they force Israel to end its 18-month blockade?

    BTW four of the 10 Israeli soldier deaths were friendly fire. Did you know that? Probably not because Israel has controlled all news access.

  • Palestians are second-class citizens living for 60 years in conditions that make the Warsaw Ghetto a luxury resort.

    You're intelligence is laughable.

  • thefacts

    Whether Gaza = Warsaw Ghetto is subjective. We may disagree on that interpretation, but there is no need to start with gratuitous personal attacks.

    However, I did notice you avoided the history of Jewish terrorism that created Israel.

    Exactly how many INNOCENT JEWS and Brits (not even mentioning Arab innocents) did the Ergun and other Zionist terrorists kill to oust the Arabs from Palestine?

  • Craig#1

    Terrorism didn't create ISrael. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears and money created Israel. It was a land with swamps that were subsequently drained and rid of malaria carrying mosquitos so that people could live there. It was a land without a power plant until Jews came along. It was a land without Universities until the Jews built them.

    The reason it thrived and prevails today is because Israelis and Jews did it on their own. They didn't receive and military aid from the US until 1967.

    I look at the situation in Iraq today and know that they will only prevail when they decide to stop fighting each other and build their nation up from the way it was under Saddam.

  • thefacts

    If I stole land, I would make improvements on it too.

    Refer to the Law of Adverse Possession before your next rant commences.

  • Mr Mel

    What about the Jews living in Arab countries? They were there for centuries and were chased out with just about the clothes on their backs. There were more Jews that were expelled from Arab lands than Arabs that fled Israel. Israel accepted those Jews with no preconceptions. The Palestinian Arabs were kept as pawns by their brethren in refugee camps and used as propaganda fodder.

  • thefacts

    True.

    However, to call one side "terrorist", while ignoring that Jewish terrorism played a major role in the creation of the state, beclouds the issue. The Irgun begat the Likkud Party which has had a hand in Israeli governing for over thirty years. The chief Jewish terrorist leader, Menachem Begin, was elected as Prime Minister of Israel. Yet when the Palestinians elect a "terrorist" as leader, they are defamed.

    "Terrorism" is a knee-jerk word that obscures the issue and is basically jejune name calling.

    One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Menachem Begin would agree with me, I think.

  • No, it means, Israel or any nation being attacked, will defend itself...

  • starrygordon

    Israel fans better do something to suppress YouTube. Very bad PR there. The media are not just reachable talking heads any more.

  • Mr Mel

    The is photo at the beginning of this article, a woman is holding a home-made sign that paraphrases a Golda Meir quote. What Golda said was "Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate the Jews".

  • Champion

    When did "attack" become an ambiguation of "protect"?

  • FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'
  • babyhitler

    I'm going to side with Israel on this one cause even though they are committing mass genocide with their unjustified killings of civilians they have much hotter chicks. Why can't we get those hot israeli chicks in NY? we get the shitty homely jews here. Palestinian women aren't that attractive although saudi women are off the chain. I think it's cause those billionaire saudi's just import all the women.

  • Sinchy

    “There is no humanitarian crisis in the [Gaza] Strip.”

    - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, 1 January 2009.

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