ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Supporters of both Palestine and Israel took to the Granada Boulevard bridge on Monday just hours apart.
Early in the afternoon, a group formed with local Israeli supporters and county leaders.
“This is different. We are dealing with barbaric evil,” said Raquel Levy.
Levy, who organized that demonstration, said her family back in Israel has been sending her status updates.
“One of my cousins, her name is Odelia Cohen, I was on the phone with her today and yesterday and the day before, and she was actually underneath the stairs, hiding because there were missiles going off around her,” Levy said.
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The latest reports show over 1,100 people have died and thousands wounded already on both sides of the fight, with civilians in Israel and Palestine among those numbers.
“Hamas has to be swiped off and send a big statement to terrorism: that it’s not going to be tolerated,” said Levy.
Just hours after that group left the bridge, a few supporters for the opposing side showed up.
“Yes, Hamas was irresponsible with the way they provoked this,” said DJ. “We’re going to act like the Israelis are the ones in the right here? It’s just so disingenuous the way Palestine is portrayed in the media generally.”
Another man, Alex Suarez, joined him and said this conflict had been a long time coming.
“The fact that they were able to orchestrate this, to break the siege and symbolically resist against their occupiers is a victory,” he said. “Any people who are occupied or oppressed and have no army that are up against the most powerful military in the Middle East, like Israel, deserves our support.”
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