UMVA has learned that a volatile crowd of anti‑Israel activists is set to storm Times Square tonight, targeting Jews and Israelis attending a high‑profile real‑estate showcase.
The “Jerusalem Real Estate Expo,” hosted at the New York Hilton Midtown, promises investors a glimpse of premium property opportunities in Israel’s capital. Yet the event has become a flashpoint, with protesters brandishing Hamas and Hezbollah flags, trampling the Israeli banner, and shouting slogans that demand the dismantling of the Jewish state.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the demonstration is being organized by the New York and New Jersey chapter of PAL‑AWDA, a group that rejects any two‑state solution and calls for Palestinian control of the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
At 6:30 p.m., the protesters are expected to converge on the Hilton, intent on confronting attendees and event organizers. They are likely to be joined by members of Within Our Lifetime and the Muslim American Society’s New York chapter, both known for targeting Jewish and pro‑Israel gatherings across the city.
Recent weeks have seen a surge in similar actions, including a recent march outside a Queens synagogue and an aggressive demonstration on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Activists like Anas Shuaib, a 27‑year‑old organizer, have declared their mission to “stop land theft of Palestinian land and expose Zionist control of America.”
The protest’s messaging brands the expo as an “illegal land expo and settler recruitment fair,” even dubbing the mayor of Jerusalem as a “mayor” in quotation marks. Graphic imagery replaces the “O” in “Stop the Sale” with a keyhole and embeds a map of the entire region inside the word “Stolen,” a visual cue that critics say signals a call for Israel’s erasure.
This confrontation arrives on the heels of a joint Jewish‑Muslim rally at Gracie Mansion, where community leaders demanded that Mayor Zohran Mamdani confront the rising tide of antisemitism. Mamdani’s past involvement with pro‑Palestinian student groups adds another layer of tension to the unfolding drama.
As night falls over Manhattan, the streets around Times Square will become a battleground of symbols and slogans, testing the city’s capacity to protect free assembly while safeguarding a community that feels increasingly under siege.
