25 Arrested for Blocking Netanyahu’s Motorcade on Way to UN General Assembly

In New York City on Thursday, a group of over twenty-five Palestinian and Jewish activists, including allies, were detained after they obstructed the route planned for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s motorcade. This occurred just before his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, where he represents a conservative perspective.

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a co-organizer of the demonstration, reported that the police arrested 25 individuals, among them the actor Rowan Blanchard, near the United Nations headquarters in midtown Manhattan.

Jay Saper, a member of JVP, strongly criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu’s policies: “As Jewish New Yorkers, we strongly denounce Netanyahu’s attacks on Lebanon and his genocidal actions against Palestinians in Gaza,” he stated. “We will persist in our opposition until the U.S. ceases its military support to Israel and Palestinians can live in complete liberty and respect.”

The protest took place amid ongoing severe Israeli military actions in Gaza, which have brought Israel before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide. Reports from Palestinian and international sources indicate that since October 7, the day Hamas orchestrated its most lethal attack on Israel since 1948, over 147,000 Gazans have been either injured or killed by Israeli forces.

In response to missile launches by the militant and political organization Hezbollah, Israel has intensified its military actions in Lebanon. Just last week, a series of bombings aimed at Hezbollah’s communication networks, which also resulted in civilian casualties including children, were ascribed to Israel. These strikes in Lebanon have resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and thousands of injuries.

“Our leaders around the world have done nothing to halt Netanyahu and his administration’s genocidal conduct, which has claimed the lives of over 15,000 children and many more adults,” declared Munir Marwan from the Palestinian Youth Movement, another group behind the protest. “As he prepares to intensify these atrocities, it is up to us to stop him.”

Netanyahu is expected to speak at the General Assembly on Friday.

This week, during their speeches at the U.N., various global leaders have voiced their condemnation of Israel’s aggressive actions.

“Gaza is experiencing one of the direst humanitarian crises in recent memory, and now the situation is dangerously worsening into Lebanon,” stated the leftist President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Tuesday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country is spearheading the genocide lawsuit against Israel at the ICJ, remarked, “We cannot remain silent and watch others suffer under apartheid.”

In another judgment, the ICJ recently decreed that Israel’s 57-year occupation of Palestinian territories constitutes illegal apartheid, which must end immediately.

Ramaphosa further emphasized, “The only enduring solution is the creation of a Palestinian state, coexisting peacefully alongside Israel, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

Gustavo Petro, the leftist President of Colombia, expressed a poignant sentiment: “If Gaza perishes, so does humanity.”

He continued, “Those of us who possess the capacity to uphold life often speak unnoticed. That’s why our calls to end the genocide in Gaza go unheard by those in power capable of destroying humanity.”

This article has been updated to note that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver his United Nations General Assembly speech on Friday.