Rallies Held Worldwide for Palestinians, Israel
Across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Canada, and the United States, tens of thousands of protesters gathered on Friday to express solidarity with Palestinians and voice their condemnation of Israel’s escalated strikes on Gaza in response to attacks by Hamas.
Simultaneously, Jewish communities in the United States, France, and other locations held rallies in support of Israel following the recent Hamas assault from Gaza, which marked the deadliest attack against Israeli civilians in the country’s 75-year history.
Western governments and many citizens have shown strong support and sympathy for Israel in response to the Hamas attacks. However, the Israeli response has generated anger, particularly in Arab and Muslim countries.
In Turkey, crowds congregated outside mosques, denouncing Israel and expressing support for Hamas.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus, young demonstrators set fires on the streets and clashed with the Israeli military.
In Rome, a massive Palestinian flag was waved overhead during a protest, while similar demonstrations occurred in various European cities, including Braband in Denmark and Berlin, where some protesters were detained by the police.
Several Western countries, including Germany and France, banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and heightened security measures were implemented at synagogues and Jewish schools due to concerns that protests could lead to violence.
In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) acknowledged social media posts threatening the Jewish community and emphasized the need for increased vigilance. Several Canadian police forces, such as those in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver, increased patrols in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, although they did not identify specific local threats.
Public safety and justice ministers from across Canada emphasized the importance of peaceful protests while warning against hateful rhetoric. Some activists in Montreal organizing a pro-Palestinian rally argued that linking protests with hatred is unwarranted.
Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza, called on Palestinians to protest Israel’s bombardment of the blockaded enclave and to march on Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, located in East Jerusalem’s Old City.
The recent Hamas assault on Israeli communities, designated as a terrorist organization by several governments, resulted in the deaths of at least 1,300 people, the majority of whom were civilians, including women and children. In response, Israel has launched airstrikes and artillery attacks on Gaza, resulting in over 1,500 Palestinian casualties and raising the possibility of a ground invasion.
Demonstrators in the United States expressed solidarity with both sides of the conflict, prompting increased police presence in Jewish and Muslim neighborhoods in major cities.
Around 200 people gathered in Washington to support Israel and the American Jewish community, while protests in New York called for Palestinian independence and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In Iraq, tens of thousands of Iraqis rallied in central Tahrir Square, demonstrating against Israel and the United States, while state-organized rallies occurred across Iran in support of Hamas.
Hezbollah’s deputy chief in Lebanon stated their readiness to contribute to the fighting, and tensions with Israel have risen along the Lebanese border.
Activists in various countries, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, Bulgaria, Yemen, Cape Town, India’s Kashmir region, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Egypt, protested against Israel’s actions.
In response, Jewish communities were also planning vigils and rallies in support of Israel, including a multi-confessional prayer for peace led by the Chief Rabbi of Poland in Warsaw and a gathering of France’s Jewish community at a Paris synagogue.
In some regions, security concerns led to the closure of Jewish schools, while London police increased patrols to address rising hate crimes, particularly antisemitism.
Germany, activists from the Last Generation, a radical youth environmentalist group, canceled planned protests to avoid diverting police resources from protecting Jews and Jewish institutions.
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