Pro-Palestinian Activist Group Sparks Concern with New York Landmark Map

 

Edited by: Fern Sidman

In a disturbing turn of events, a pro-Palestinian activist group named Within Our Lifetime has drawn attention by sharing a map of New York City landmarks on social media, featuring notable locations like the New York Post’s newsroom, Grand Central Station, the Museum of Modern Art, and more. According to a report in the New York Post, the group called for “direct action” to “globalize intifada,” a term in Arabic referring to a rebellion or uprising.

The map also targeted the News Corp building, headquarters of NBC News and the New York Times, the Chelsea High Line, and the offices of Meta, which is the parent company of Instagram—the very platform the group used to spread its message, the Post reported.

The now-deleted post claimed that each location represented an office of an “enemy” of the Palestinian people and colonized populations worldwide, as was noted in the Post report. It encouraged followers to mobilize in defense of their cause. The post, laden with inflammatory language, echoed the Palestine Liberation Organization mantra adopted by Hamas, calling for the eradication of Israel.

“Each of the locations on this map reflects the location of an office of an enemy of both the Palestinian people and colonized people all over the world. Today and beyond, these locations will be sites for popular mobilization in defense of our people,” the post read.

“May this map serve as a call for every struggle to act in their own interest. As we do so, we uplift one another’s struggles and free Palestine from the river to the sea,” it continued, according to the Post report.

City officials, including Mayor Adams, swiftly condemned the post. The Post report said that a spokesperson from City Hall emphasized that hate has no place in New York City, and the NYPD is actively monitoring potential threats. The police are deploying resources to ensure public safety at the mentioned locations. The Post report added that the spokesperson criticized the use of divisive language, stating that threatening businesses and organizations is not the way to address concerns.

“The NYPD is aware of a social media post urging ‘direct action’ towards several institutions in the city and is deploying resources to protect public safety at these locations. But to be clear, threatening businesses and organizations and referring to them as the ‘enemy’ is exactly the kind of hateful rhetoric that seeks to divide New Yorkers, but it won’t work, because we are better than that,” a city hall spokesperson said.

The activist group, boasting 121,000 followers on Instagram, did not specify the reasons behind targeting these locations or the nature of the suggested “direct action.” Nevertheless, New York lawmakers, including Democratic Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, expressed strong disapproval, as was reported by the Post. Torres labeled the messaging as “coded calls for violence against Jews,” while Levine deemed it “dangerous and reprehensible.”

Levine emphasized that the language used in the post amounted to clear incitement against predominantly Jewish institutions, the Post report said. He rejected the hateful language and expressed gratitude that the NYPD is taking the threat seriously.

As indicated in the Post report, Councilman Keith Powers, who represents Manhattan Midtown, where several of the listed landmarks are situated, condemned the map as an “unacceptable invitation to senseless violence.” In a statement, the Democrat expressed strong disapproval and confirmed reaching out to the local NYPD.

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the executive vice president of the NY Board of Rabbis, characterized the map as a message glorifying physical attacks against Jews, the Post reported. He emphasized the dangerous correlation between the glorification of violence and real-world harm, stating, “Intifadas are targeted attacks on Jews. The hatred of the heart leads to hatred of the hands.”

The NYPD is aware of the map, according to a spokesperson, and is taking steps to address the situation. A City Hall spokesperson affirmed that the NYPD is deploying resources to protect public safety at the locations listed on the map, according to the Post report.

The spokesperson added that “threatening businesses and organizations and referring to them as the ‘enemy’ is exactly the kind of hateful rhetoric that seeks to divide New Yorkers, but it won’t work, because we are better than that.”

Meanwhile, Within Our Lifetime organized a “peaceful rally” in Washington Square Park, demanding an end to the current conflict and calling out universities deemed complicit in it. As was stated in the Post report, the rally took place against the backdrop of a lawsuit filed by three Jewish students against New York University, accusing the institution of fostering an atmosphere of anti-Semitic hatred.

The group also promoted an “emergency protest” outside the CUNY School of Law in Long Island City, Queens, protesting the last-minute cancellation of an event titled “Fighting Against Complicity in Genocide.”

The broader context reveals rising tensions on college campuses, with pro-Hamas and anti-Israel protests gaining momentum. A recent poll indicated that more than one in five college students support Hamas in the conflict, nearly matching those who side with Israel, the Post report said.

The five boroughs also saw a 214% surge in anti-Jewish incidents last month as Israel pounded the densely populated Gaza strip with air strikes in retaliation for Hamas’ sneak attack on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians.

The death toll in the disputed region had surpassed 11,000, according to Hamas officials, who don’t differentiate between civilians and militants.