Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors took the streets on Christmas day to disrupt festive activities chanting “Christmas is canceled.” In New York City, people marched through Midtown carrying a bloody nativity scene calling for an intifada. A few commotions broke out during the protest, including outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with six people arrested. Similar protests took place in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, and London. Two additional protests a few days later garnered attention as pro-Palestinian protestors briefly blocked traffic into the John F. Kennedy and Los Angeles International airports. 

 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) faced extensive criticism for her Christmas Eve post comparing Jesus to Gazans. In her post, Ocasio-Cortez wrote that Jesus was born in “modern-day Palestine” under an oppressive regime carrying out “a massacre of innocents.” Users on social media criticizing Ocasio-Cortez said the post was dangerous and false, at best a reinvention of history and at worst invokes the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews killed Jesus. A similar message was made by Father Edward Beck during his appearance on CNN on Christmas day. 

The newly formed group Doctors Against Genocide planned to host an anti-Israel protest at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. on Thursday. In a social media post, the group urged their followers to obtain free tickets to the museum in preparation for the planned protest. News of the event quickly spread on social media with users accusing the group of choosing to promote Jewish hatred inside a museum which educates about the greatest attempt of Jewish genocide. Following the backlash, the group released a statement canceling the planned protest. 

 

On social media, users also called out the perceived hypocrisy of the organization. They point out that the organization was founded in 2023 as a reaction to the “genocide in Gaza,” and are accused of ignoring acts of genocide in other parts of the world and only speaking up when the war involved Israel.

American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, issued an apology to the Jewish community in Hebrew for “any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions.” The apology was made over a year since Ye posted “I ‘m going death con 3 on Jewish people.” Reaction on social media has been mixed, with users divided on whether to accept or reject Ye’s apology. Some users said that the apology was a necessary first step but reiterated that actions speak louder than words. 

Others on social media questioned the genuinity of the apology arguing the apology could be a publicity stunt with the release of Ye’s upcoming album release. Users were also left confused as to why the apology was written in Hebrew, as many Jews around the world do not speak the language, believing it was done intentionally to prevent Americans Jews and non-Jews from understanding his apology.

 

The Washington Post recently investigated Israel’s claims that Hamas used the Al-Shifa Hospital as a command center. This week the Post published a piece concluding that these claims were false. The investigation analyzed open source visuals and satellite images obtained through social media and all publicly available materials released by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The Post concluded that the evidence did not show immediate military use of the hospital by Hamas and did not prove that the tunnel IDF discovered under the premises was accessible through the hospital. Critics of the piece have cast doubt over the methods and conclusions of the investigation.  

Additionally, the New York Times came under scrutiny for an opinion piece published on Christmas Eve penned by Gaza City mayor Yahya Al-Sarraj. The newspaper was heavily criticized for giving an international platform to a senior Hamas official and his anti-Israel message.

 

Following the demonstrations held on Christmas Day, cities across the nations are anticipating protests to be held this week as people prepare to welcome in the new year. New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) said on Tuesday that he anticipates pro-Palestinian protestors will attempt to interrupt the New Year’s Eve ceremonial ball drop. Adams added that the NYPD and private security firms are preparing for any potential protests.

 

Adams added that in total there have been almost 500 protests in New York City since the Israel-Hamas war began.

 

 

 

 

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