Pro-Palestinian Protesters Clash With Police In New York; 9 Arrested

New York, NY (AHN) - Demonstrators rallying in New York against the Israeli offensive in Gaza clashed with police late Sunday as a counter-protest by pro-Israel groups was held. Nine people have reportedly been arrested.

Fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants occupying the Gaza Strip continued over the weekend despite a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate end to the hostilities. The violence has gone on more than two weeks after Hamas ended a six-month ceasefire, saying Israel had violated the terms.

All 15 members of the U.N. Security Council except the United States voted on Friday to pass a resolution calling for "an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire" and the "unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance." The approval of the measure came after an earlier resolution presented by Libya failed in part due to concerns that it was not impartial enough.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is quoted by the BBC as saying, "The United States thought it important to see the outcomes of the Egyptian mediation efforts, in order to see what this resolution might have been supporting and that is why we chose to abstain."

The pro-Palestinian rally in New York was held in Manhattan's West Side. The New York Police Department released a statement to CNN saying violence broke out between police and protesters because "while attempting to separate the males, several others joined in and began to assault the officers."

A counter-demonstration was held by thousands of supporters of Israel outside the Israeli Consulate in New York. The rally sponsored by the United Jewish Communities Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York was attended by New York Gov. David Paterson and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The demonstrations in New York coincide with other rallies all over the world. In Edinburgh, protesters threw hundreds of shoes at the U.S. Consulate to call for an end to Israeli bombardment of the Strip. In Trafalgar Square, thousands of pro-Israel protesters gathered peacefully. Similar protests were held in France and Madrid. A rally was also held in Washington, D.C. outside the White House on Saturday demanding that Israel end its siege on Gaza.

Israel continued its air and ground operations against Palestinian militants in Gaza on Sunday, but paused for a few hours to allow humanitarian aid into the Strip. It launched a ground offensive a little over a week ago but began air strikes on Dec. 27 with the stated aim of ending rocket fire from Hamas.

Hamas, a militant Islamist group that took control of Gaza in 2007, ended a ceasefire on Dec. 19. The group had de facto control over Gaza until January last year, when Israel cut off fuel and food supplies to Gaza in response to rocket attacks.

Nearly 900 people in Gaza, including many civilians and about 300 children, have died from the 17-day violence. More than 3,000 have been wounded.