Man charged for hitting Gaza protester with car in Manhattan

A New York City man has been charged with assault after he allegedly hit a Gaza protester with his car on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Tuesday, according to police.

Reuven Kahane, 57, was reportedly arguing with demonstrators around 9am when he allegedly drove his car into 55-year-old Maryellen Novak.

Demonstrators allegedly reacted by hitting Mr Kahane’s car.

He has been charged with second-degree assault, the New York Times reports.

Ms Novak was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Centre where she was treated for minor injuries. She was later arrested and charged with criminal mischief and unlawful assembly.

A second protester involved in the argument, John Rozendaal, 63, was also arrested and charged with criminal mischief.

Mr Kahane faced arraignment on Wednesday morning. He has been released without bail.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the protesters, according to a statement.

Attorneys representing Mr Kahane, Sara Shulevitz and Mindy Meyer, insinuated that there was more to the story and said they were “confident that our client will be exonerated of all charges”.

The protesters who Mr Kahane encountered were among 25 people protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza near 755 Park Avenue, according to police. The group was reportedly leaving the area when Mr Kahane became embroiled in a “verbal dispute” with two members of the group.

Student protesters rejected the official police account of the incident. They issued a statement claiming that Mr Kahane drove up to the demonstrators and asked for a flier before grabbing the arm of a demonstrator.

They said that as they were leaving, Mr Kahane allegedly “circled the block to drive into our peaceful demonstration,” which is when he hit Ms Novak.

The group said Ms Novak was the second member of their group in a week to have been assaulted and the fourth to be hospitalised since they began demonstrating.

The incident comes on the heels of a numerous crackdowns on Gaza student protesters at New York City universities.