Supporters of Israel, Palestinians rally in Nassau

Hundreds of Long Islanders gathered in separate rallies Sunday, some standing in solidarity with Israel while others condemned the occupation of the Palestinian territories even as a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas held following 11 days of conflict.

In Great Neck, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and other elected officials joined Long Island residents in Grace Avenue Park to stand with Israel and against anti-Semitism. They condemned attacks on Jewish people in New York, Los Angeles and other communities sparked by the conflict in Israel in recent days.

About an hour later, about 300 people gathered in front of U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice’s Garden City office, with many holding up signs emblazoned with the words "Free Palestine" or "End the Apartheid." Organizers expressed concerns, also made by aid organizations, that the strikes on Gaza could create a humanitarian crisis.

Israel supporters said the country had a right to defend itself against a barrage of Hamas attacks.

But for Rachel Hu, an organizer at the pro-Palestinian rally, the two gatherings were not in opposition to each other. Hu, of ANSWER Coalition Long Island, said the anti-racism and anti-war group also condemns anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

"What we want is Congress and our elected officials, both at the local level and nationally, to stand up and say no to these war crimes, stand up against oppression and condemn the killing of children in Gaza," Hu said.

Sunday’s rallies came after Friday's cease-fire of the fourth war between Israel and Hamas in over a decade.

The conflict began on May 10 after Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a holy site with significance for both Muslims and Jews. The strike followed increased tensions from Israeli police action at the compound and the threatened eviction of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

At the Great Neck rally, organized by local residents Adele Tehrani and Irina Amir, several speakers condemned Hamas as a terror organization and urged Americans to support Israel, which they called a democracy and a longtime ally of the United States. Speakers said anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.

In Garden City, rallygoers called for an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and expressed concern over the United States' support of Israel, given humanitarian concerns about Palestinians in Gaza, who live under occupation.

At the pro-Israel rally, people in the crowd waved Israeli flags and signs that expressed sentiments such as "Israel is under attack." At the pro-Palestinian rally, people chanted "Free, Free Palestine! Occupation is a crime!" and "Condemn Kathleen Rice!", with calls in both English and Arabic. Many held Palestinian flags and protesters dressed in the flag colors of red, green, black and white.

The Garden City rally, organized by the ANSWER Coalition, came in response to Rice's pro-Israel comments on Twitter.

"Hamas is a terrorist organization trying to kill innocent Israeli civilians with rocket attacks & they cruelly use their own civilians as human shields. Those who condemn Israel and not the terrorists are wrong. I stand with Israel & reaffirm its inherent right of self-defense," Rice said on her Twitter page.

Rally speakers called on Rice to retract her statements on Twitter, saying Palestinians have a right to defend themselves from Israel.

"We need an America that will hold Israel accountable. Palestinian lives matter," said Maysoun, an event speaker who lives in Suffolk County and identified herself as "a proud Palestinian-American."

"The children that were killed in Palestine are not numbers … they were people, they had dreams," she said.

Stuart Malec, a spokesman for Rice, said, "We respect the right to peacefully assemble and our constituents are always welcome to contact our office."

In Great Neck, supporters were spurred to rally in part by recent reports of anti-Semitic hate crimes nationally. Curran said Nassau police would beef up patrols if necessary.

"In Nassau County, we have zero tolerance for hate crimes," Curran said. "We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism."

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the organizers for the pro-Israel rally in Great Neck.