On the Streets in Palo Alto: Two Sides Face Off on Palestine

Demonstrators calling for an end to Israel's attack on Gaza organized a silent vigil on July 24th at Palo Alto's Lytton Plaza near Stanford University. They got a permit for a 9pm rally and were surprised when they arrived to find that pro-Israel demonstrators had arrived earlier and tried to take over the plaza.

In just over two weeks, Israel has killed hundreds. It has devastated the civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including the health sector, which is facing severe shortages. While the rally in Palo Alto on Thursday night was peaceful, members on both sides of the issue got into some shouting matches.

At the scheduled rally a speaker read aloud the names of those killed. The death toll in the 18-day-old conflict continues to climb. The BBC reports that more than 800 Palestinians have now been killed; the Israeli deaths numbers 34. Most of the Palestinian deaths have been civilians, while 32 of Israel's dead have been soldiers.