Protests, meanwhile, continue worldwide. On Thursday, more than 40,000 people demonstrated in Oslo, Norway, denouncing the attack on Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, other rallies were held in Venezuela, Tehran, Khartoum and Sarajevo. In Canada, around thirty activists occupied the Israeli consulate in Montreal. The action came one day after a group of Jewish Canadian women occupied the Israeli consulate in Toronto. In New York, hundreds gathered on Wednesday to respond to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s open support for the Israeli attack. Bloomberg visited Israel last week and gave interviews backing the assault on Gaza. New York City Council Member Charles Barron said Bloomberg doesn’t speak for all New Yorkers.

New York City Council Member Charles Barron: “My message to Bloomberg is shame on you. How dare you speak for all New Yorkers and ignore the fact that 560 people died, and many of them innocent women and children? How dare you go to Israel and not talk to the Palestinian people? How dare you act like you speak for all New Yorkers? Well, you don’t.”

Protests also continue in Israel. Israeli peace activists Uri Avnery and David Wilner were among those demonstrating in Tel Aviv.

Uri Avnery: “We are here to protest against the war, which we consider inhuman, immoral, totally unjustified and unnecessary. We believe that if we had agreed to talk with Hamas, this problem would have been laid aside a long
time ago.”

David Wilner: “A massacre and violence is not the way to bring peace to both nations, the Israeli and the Palestinian nations.”