Left-wing Israelis protest against Gaza war in New York City

Around two dozen leftist protesters gather in New York City’s Union Square to demand an end to the war in Gaza as part of a weekly demonstration in the city led by Israelis.

The protesters hold signs saying “Israelis for peace,” “War has no winners,” and “Israelis say: There is no military solution.”

“You either support a shared future of liberty and dignity for all from the river to the sea or you’re standing in the way,” organizer Tamar Glezerman tells the crowd, calling for an end to US military support for Israel.

“Your unconditional support is truly killing us,” she says.

Glezerman begins by announcing deaths on both sides of the conflict in the past week and condemning settler violence.

“As far as the hostage negotiations go, the Israeli government couldn’t give a shit,” Glezerman says.

“Netanyahu can’t be bothered by the hostages. He has bigger fish to fry,” she says, like his legal travails and “taking credit for the fall of the Assad regime.”

The crowd, huddled against the bitter winter cold, chants “Ceasefire now” and “Take your finger off the trigger, war will never have a winner.” They chant in Hebrew for the release of the hostages in Gaza.

The protesters, organized by a group calling itself “Israelis for Peace NYC,” have been holding rallies in the city for more than a year.

They occupy a niche between the mainstream Jewish community that is focused on the plight of the hostages, and the mainstream anti-Israel movement, which is anti-Zionist and regularly calls for the destruction of Israel.