By Alex Kane
While the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were holding a $1,000 a plate fundraiser at the ritzy Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan, hundreds of Palestine solidarity activists from a wide array of organizations took to the streets to protest Israeli war crimes, the blockade of Gaza, and the occupation of Palestine.
Dressed in black and carrying signs that read “Gaza Hungers for Justice,” and “Israeli War Criminals Feast at the Waldorf,” protesters circled the Waldorf Astoria in a somber, moving procession only punctuated by the sounds of drums and gongs. The demonstrators also held up signs highlighting the findings of the Goldstone report, which stated that Israeli forces bombed the Gaza Zoo, used white phosphorus against civilians in Gaza during “Operation Cast Lead,” and killed innocent Palestinians.
The United Nations’ Goldstone report concluded that both Israel and Palestinian militants committed war crimes, though the majority of the report focused on Israel, which killed nearly 1,400 Palestinians, including over 300 children, in the 2008-2009 assault on Gaza....
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http://www.indypendent.org/2010/03/09/gaza-hungers-for-justice-hundreds-demonstrate-as-friends-of-idf-hold-lavish-dinner-in-manhattan/