Pro-Palestinian protesters block Manhattan Bridge
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked traffic Sunday on the Manhattan Bridge.
The demonstration demanding a cease-fire in Israel's war on Hamas militants in Gaza came on one of the busiest travel days of the year. The city urged drivers to avoid the bridge.
The protesters sat in the roadway at Canal Street in Manhattan at 2 p.m. Many wore shirts reading "ceasefire now" and laid a banner on the pavement reading "the whole world is watching."
Among the organizers was Jewish Voice for Peace, which has called Israel an apartheid state.
Jay Saper, a member of the group, said they timed the demonstration to draw maximum attention to their call for a lasting cease-fire. A current pause in the war to facilitate the exchange of Hamas hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody and the delivery of aid is set to expire Tuesday.
"These kind of things where you stop traffic brings more attention to the issue. I do think there are many Americans who don’t really pay attention to how serious this is," said one demonstrator, Joan Glickman, 74, of Westchester.
