Police arrested over 40 people outside the Trump International Hotel in New York City as hundreds gathered for a peaceful action led by Jewish leaders calling for the end to Israel’s starvation and ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Democracy Now! was at the demonstration and spoke to some of the protesters, including Motaz Azaiza, renowned photojournalist from Gaza, and Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari, who was arrested. “We’re here to say, ‘Let Gaza live,’ to risk everything to say, ‘Never again,’” says Fornari.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: I’m going to turn right now to here in New York. There have been mass protests about what’s going on in Gaza and the West Bank, as Prime Minister Netanyahu says he’s going to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, escalate the war there. In Sydney, Australia, hundreds of thousands of people marched. On Friday, hundreds took over the office lobby of New York Senators Gillibrand and Schumer, who voted against Senator Bernie Sanders’ move to stop arming Israel. Last night, at Columbus Circle outside Trump International Hotel, hundreds also protested in a protest led by the Jewish American group IfNotNow and other Jewish leaders.
AMY GOODMAN: I’m Amy Goodman from Democracy Now!, standing in front of Trump International Hotel at Columbus Circle, right on Central Park. Scores of people have been arrested, including rabbis. Here in front of the hotel, people are holding banners that say “Stop ethnic cleansing,” “Jews say, ‘No more.’” They’re holding banners. There are many signs on the ground: “Stop starvation,” “Stop ethnic cleansing,” “Never again is now.”
PROTESTERS: Let Gaza live! Let Gaza live!
MOTAZ AZAIZA: I’m Motaz Azaiza, genocide survivor from Gaza Strip. Today I’m 26 years old, and I’m witnessing Jewish brothers are protesting against the genocide, against the Israeli occupation turned the genocide in my home in Gaza, to free Palestine from the occupation. It means a lot to me. Around 16 months — after 16 months, people still protesting, people still calling for a free Palestine, to stop the genocide, means a lot, means a lot to me as a Palestinian from Gaza. I lost my family. I lost my friends. And these people are loyal, loyal to us, loyal to our souls.
AMY GOODMAN: Gaza know what’s happening here, these kinds of arrests in front of Trump Tower?
MOTAZ AZAIZA: They know. They watch this on Twitter. Today, I’m going to share it with the people of Gaza. But, unfortunately, if you are starving, your kids are hungry, they didn’t go to school for two years, it’s going to — not going to make you happy, you know? We need something on the ground in Gaza. And this, hopefully, will lead to something to happen in Gaza.
RABBI ARI LEV FORNARI: My name is Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari, and I’m a rabbi for ceasefire who believes that they should end the starvation in Gaza. It’s worth taking every risk we can to save every life possible. There are 2 million people in Gaza starving every single day. We just read on Tisha B’Av that if there is a hungry child, you need to feed them bread.
AMY GOODMAN: Why in front of Trump Tower?
RABBI ARI LEV FORNARI: Trump is responsible for funding and fueling this horrible genocide in Gaza and enabling Netanyahu and his genocidal practices. The only way that Palestinians and Israelis can be safe, including the hostages who are held in Gaza, is if the people of Palestine are free. We just saw that Evyatar David, one of the remaining living Israeli hostages, is starving. He’s starving because everyone in Gaza is starving. Food aid to Gaza will save the remaining hostages, and it will save the children and the people of Gaza, who deserve to live. We’re here to say, “Let Gaza live,” to risk everything to say, “Never again. Let Gaza live.”
MOTAZ AZAIZA: Every day, like with a phone — I have two phones. Every day, the two phones don’t stop from messaging. People are starving. People need food. People need money. They don’t have cash. They have — they have nothing. They can’t leave, and they don’t want them to stay. They can’t use the sea. They can’t swim even. So, it’s terrifying, what is happening there and what’s still happening. And today, Netanyahu issued a decision that he’s going to occupy all of Gaza Strip. I’m worried about my grandmother, the rest of my family, my house, my friends.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Motaz Azaiza, the world-renowned Gazan photographer, who just recently left Gaza, as so many of his family and friends have been killed, and the Philadelphia Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari. That does it for that segment. Special thanks to Jake Horgan, Ellie Kahn and Kevin Rabinovich.
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