As the situation in the Gaza Strip escalates—besides Mayor Bloomberg heading to Israel to show support, diplomats say the U.S. blocked a U.N. statement asking for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas—tensions are high. The Daily News reports, "thousands of Palestinian supporters demonstrated in Times Square Saturday to protest Israel's punishing military offensive..." with the "wave of protesters stretched across three blocks, dwarfing the dozens of boisterous supporters of Israel assembled across Seventh Ave".
A Palestinian-American social worker who lives in Brooklyn, Linda Sarsour, told the NY Times she wasn't surprised that Israeli forces started a ground attack, “As organized as the Palestinian community is here in the United States, we already knew this was going to happen, and I think the Palestinian people in Gaza have expected it. Now it’s time for Israel to come in and face the people on the ground. It’s all-out war now, and we’ll see what happens.” Another Palestinian supporter told WCBS 880, "Anywhere around the world, it would be horrifying. It doesn't matter where you come from, when you see innocent people dying for no reason at all."
The pro-Israel supporters across the street blamed Hamas: One told the News, "I thought it was important to stand up to Hamas and terrorism, whether it's Islamic terrorism in Mumbai, London or Gaza. Terrorism is terrorism."
