12:44 p.m. ET, November 18, 2023
This is what pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters want you to know
By Zoe Sottile, Chandelis Duster and Eric Levenson from CNN Laura Oliverio/Rebecca Wright/CNN
Since October 7, large, vibrant crowds have gathered in rallies around the world, holding signs and chanting to express their simmering frustration, outrage and fear over the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas and the resulting casualties to lend.
CNN spoke to some protesters at recent pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel rallies to better understand why thousands joined the marches and what those present want to achieve.
This is what they said:
Pro-Palestinian protesters: Elizabeth Oram, a 70-year-old nurse and lecturer, waved a Palestinian flag during a pro-Palestinian event in New York’s Columbus Circle last Friday evening. Her short blonde hair fell onto a white KN95 mask. She said she was a long-time advocate for Palestinian rights and had seen the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories go from “very bad to absolutely barbaric.”
“I’m 70. I need to be able to tell my grandchildren that I didn’t stay silent when this happened, when genocide was happening, but that I spoke out,” she said. “That’s what they need to know.”
Sami, a 20-year-old French student at a London university, was visiting New York when he came across the rally. He told CNN that he felt inspired to stay and participate after seeing images of violence in Gaza on social media.
“I see all the videos and pictures and it’s terrible – I see this every day, every time on social media, on Twitter, on Instagram,” he said. “These atrocities before my eyes every day. I feel great pain for them and want this massacre and genocide to stop.”
Protesters criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and accused the country of apartheid and genocide, urged a ceasefire in Israel’s military operations and called on American leaders to end their support for Israel.
Pro-Israel protesters: At the March for Israel held in D.C. on Tuesday, Sara Blau, a University of Maryland student, wore a T-shirt with the face of Omer Neutra, a high school friend kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 was and is believed to be held hostage.
Blau said she wanted to join the march “to show my support for Israel. “I am a proud Zionist, a proud Jew and wanted to be here to support my community.”
Michal and Noam Sheps, a couple from New Jersey, said they came to show their support for the hostages and for Israel.
“We are one nation and we all support each other. We want the hostages to be released. It is extremely important,” said Michal. “(We are here) for peace, for the safety of the people of Israel and for the hostages.”
Several of the pro-Israel protesters said they had concerns about their personal safety as Jewish Americans. They urged Hamas to immediately release the more than 200 hostages kidnapped on October 7.
Read more at what other protesters had to say.