PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia's Palestinian community and supporters showed up by the hundreds for a rally Saturday, addressing the rising conflict in the Middle East.
Protesters marched through Rittenhouse Square with signs in hand. Some read, "Palestine prays for peace," and "Stop killing."
"More rights to live in dignity and peace, everybody deserves those, not only the Palestinians, but also the Israelis," said one protester, Cami.
Many said they came out to stand in solidarity with Palestinians. "You don't have to stand against Jews to support Palestinians," said Basma.
Others said the day was about finding some understanding in the multilayered conflict.
"I wanted to hear how people were thinking," said Victa Kidd. "This is beautiful. People that were riding in their cars blew their horns at one another. It was just a good feeling to be involved with this today."
Katie Rose also came out to learn and listen.
"It's not as complicated an issue as it seems," she said. "The sheer numbers of the people being killed, the children and the innocent lives that are being lost in Palestine, how the U.S. is connected. It's not outside of us."
However, Laura Frank, director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's Community Relations Council, said that the issue is more complicated. She believes Israel being the aggressor in the conflict has become a common misconception.
"Most of the people in the world are in agreement that Palestinian people deserve statehood," she said.
"I understand their support. I am a Zionist, I am a Jew and I am pro-Palestinian because those things are not mutually exclusive, but if you really want to help the Palestinian people, let's confront the complex challnges they face together, and bring the world powers together to come up with a solution that works."
Frank believes the best way to solve those challenges and bring peace to the Palestinians is to work together, because she said it isn't just Israel versus Palestinians.
"It is a much bigger picture and a lot more parties involved than that," she said.
She also recognized a lot of pro-Palestine protesters identify with progressive causes, and called Israel one of the most diverse societies in the world.