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Published by Palestine Video.
Israeli Defense Force chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, called 'The Butcher of Gaza' by Palestinian activists and some of their supporters, spoke at a 'Friends of the IDF' fundraising dinner on Tuesday. Outside New York's well known Waldorf Astoria, protesters let Ashkenazi know how they felt about his presence.
Prior to the dinner, a column of 500 protesters formed at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue. Starting at 5 p.m., the protesters picketed for half an hour and then marched south on Lexington. On arrival at the Waldorf, the protesters--many clad in black and carrying signs that said 'War Crime'--circled the hotel in a walking picket. On the west side of Lexington, a group of 50 counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags and held signs attacking Hamas. As night fell, a third group of protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted--a short distance away from the pro-Israel group. Monitoring the situation were NYPD Community Affairs and legal observers from the National Lawyers Guild."
[Thirteen organizations gathered outside the Waldorf Astoria to condemn the role of the IDF in the 2008/9 Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. They included Adalah-NY, American Jews for a Just Peace, Codepink, Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, the International Action Center Committee for Open Discussion of Zionism, Jews Say No!, the New York Collective of Radical Educators, the Green Party of New Jersey, The Islamist Thinkers Society, Progressive Democrats of America, the National Lawyers Guild-NY Chapter, the Judson Church and Women in Black. Referring to Gen. Ashkenazi as "the butcher of Gaza" the demonstrators claim that "Israeli military forces launched a brutal attack on the 1.5 million Palestinians of Gaza. Over a 22-day period the Israeli military killed more than 1,400 people and destroyed factories, hospitals and homes."]
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