Approximately 200 people gathered on Library Mall Friday evening to express concern over Israeli occupation of disputed Middle Eastern territories.
The demonstration was organized by the International Socialist Organization and the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition. Other co-sponsors included Alternative Palestinian Agenda, Jews for Equal Justice, Jewish Voices Against the Occupation, the Madison Area Peace Coalition, U.S. Out Now, Solidarity and Left Turn.
Speaker Nasser Abufarha set the tone of the demonstration.
\[We] must stand together against [Israeli occupation] to free Palestine, so we can pave the way for those who wish to live in peace,"" he said.
The rally follows weeks of escalated violence in the Middle East. Anthony Zinni, the U.S. envoy, was recently sent to the region to negotiate a cease-fire.
""The situation sickens me,"" UW-Madison senior Tony Schultz said. ""The only way to end [terrorism] is to end the occupation and allow Palestinians to go home.""
UW-Madison senior Jaclyn Marks said her personal ties to Israel allow her to view the situation differently.
But not everyone who attended the rally agreed with the stance taken on the situation.
""There are so many things [to take into account],"" she said. ""Israel does have the right to defend itself.""
Rick Woolman, a UW-Madison junior who attended the rally, said he was ""amazed"" by the ""presentation of misinformation"" during the event.
""I was absolutely shocked,"" he said, in reference to a comparison made between Nazi Germany and the current Palestinian situation during the rally.
He said the person who made the comparison could not give a direct source of where he had gotten his information.
""It's an extraordinarily complicated history and this didn't seem like a group that was presenting the facts in a straightforward way to educate people,"" he said.
Madison community member Josh Schwartz said he did not agree with all the information presented Friday.
""It seemed that they organized it in a matter of days and had a great turnout and they did a really good job,"" Schwartz said. ""But what I didn't like about it was that it makes anyone who is pro-Israel sound like they're against human rights.""
Speaker Rabbi Brian Field asked the crowd to bow their heads, briefly taking the focus away from the politics of the situation.
""[We] are also here to mourn,"" he said.
Then he added that this violence ""does not exist in a vacuum.\
