On Monday night, intense video footage captured confrontations between advocates of Israel and individuals wearing keffiyehs opposing Israel at a real estate exhibition in Brooklyn. This clash comes on the heels of a similar incident from the previous week.
Outside the Young Israel Synagogue, the scene was chaotic as the two groups faced off on the pavement. Meanwhile, anti-Israel demonstrators filled the street, brandishing Palestinian and Hezbollah flags.
According to the NYPD, the disorder resulted in the arrest of four individuals around 6:45 p.m. on Ocean Avenue.
The video shows a male supporter of Israel confronting the crowd, many of whom displayed signs with messages critical of Israel. At one point, the man used pepper spray against the group.
WATCH: Violent anti-Israel demonstration outside Brooklyn synagogue
The skirmish was sparked by anti-Israel protesters who gathered in opposition to “The Great Israeli Real Estate Event.” This expo showcased properties available in Israel, which protesters claim are located on “stolen land” within the “occupied” Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
Anti-Israel agitators clash with the NYPD at a “Stop the Sale of Stolen Palestinian Land” protest against ‘Great Israel Real Estate’ event for Palestinian land sale at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in New York City. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
According to the Jerusalem Post, the mob was organized by the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation Al-Awda of New York and New Jersey. The organization calls for the “de-colonization of Palestine.
Later video from the confrontation showed at least one anti-Israel agitator being arrested by NYPD officers after a scuffle that ended with the arrestee being thrown to the pavement.
The Jerusalem Post noted that anti-Israel crowds shouted slogans including, “Brick by brick, wall by wall, Zionism will fall,” and “Free Palestine.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters gather at a “Stop the Sale of Stolen Palestinian Land” protest against “Great Israel Real Estate” event for Palestinian land sale at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in New York City. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We’re here today to send a message to the city and to send a message to the organizers that these kinds of events cannot and will not stand in New York City,” said Taher Dahleh, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth movement, according to Spectrum News 1.
A similar expo last week also drew protests.
Pro-Palestinian protestors try to enter the Brooklyn Museum amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Brooklyn, New York City, on May 31, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
A recent “buffer zone” bill passed in New York City in March limits protests near places of worship. The “NYC Houses of Worship Law” passed in March and requires the NYPD to cordon off areas to protect worshippers at their discretion.
The law took effect in April, but the NYPD is expected to present a formal plan for enforcing it to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city council in early June.
Neither Mamdani’s office nor the NYPD returned Tuesday morning comment requests.
