A massive Palestinian flag was unfurled off the Manhattan Bridge between New Jersey and New York City on August 20th.

Emblazoned with the phrase "Gaza in our hearts" and set off with the words "boycott," "divest," and "sanction," the flag appeared in the evening. On the same day, a pro-Palestinian march crossed the Brooklyn Bridge between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Organizers of that march denied any knowledge of the Washington Bridge flag. The two spans are about eight miles apart.

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"I had no idea. They obviously knew we were marching," said Nastaran Mohit, 31, an organizer for New York Solidarity with Palestine, to the Washington Times. He called the banner "a beautiful thing."

The slogan "Boycott, divest, sanction" forms the hallmark acronym of BDS, the name of a worldwide campaign that on its website proclaims to seek the isolation Israel "until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights."

Police quickly took down the flag, and BDS does not list the incident on its web page.

The Anti-Defamation League condemned the flag as anti-Israel. In a statement, director Evan Bernstein, said: "We strongly condemn this effort to delegitimize Israel which was on full display on the Manhattan Bridge. Individuals have every right to express their views, however there is no place for this type of display in New York City or in any city across the country."

The incident is one of many emerging all over the globe in response to what is seen as Israel's inordinately excessive bombing of Gaza in recent weeks. While the military campaign did succeed in killing three leaders of the terrorist organization Hamas (which controls the city), civilian casualties of over 2,000 and massive collateral damage to buildings and infrastructure have caused open criticism of Israeli use of force.

It is not known who unfurled the flag. No arrests have been reported, and no individual or group, including BDS, has claimed responsibility. The New York Police Department is continuing its investigation.  

TagsIsrael, Gaza, Palestine, BDS, boycott, divest, sanction, Manhattan Bridge, Palestinian flag