Arrests made at pro-Palestine protest in Westwood

More than a thousand pro-Palestine protesters marched down Wilshire Boulevard once again Saturday afternoon, drawing verbal conflicts with about 30 pro-Israel supporters who walked across the crowd.

Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Andy Neiman said there have been at least two arrests made at the protest, although he could not say which protesters were arrested or for what charges.

For the second time in two weeks, pro-Palestine protesters marched down to the Israeli consulate in Santa Monica, chanting “Shame on you” at people in the consulate, which was closed for business. They also used chalk to draw on various signs and streets around Wilshire Boulevard, writing phrases such as “When you take our lives, we take away your streets.”

The demonstration was the fifth Westwood pro-Palestine protest in four weeks urging Israel to stop its military operation in the Gaza Strip, although this was the first in weeks that featured a visible pro-Israel counter-protest. Last week, there were two pro-Palestine protests in the area.

Following the march, both sides got into a shouting match as they rallied around Westwood’s Federal Building, as dozens of police officers restrained protesters from both sides.

At one point, a pro-Israel supporter walked into a corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue that pro-Palestine supporters occupied. Both sides quickly got into a verbal scuffle, eventually leading to pro-Palestine supporters shouting down the pro-Israel supporter as police restrained pro-Palestine supporters and urged the pro-Israel supporter to leave the scene.

A few minutes later, the opposite happened with a pro-Palestine supporter walking into pro-Israel supporters and quickly getting into an argument while police urged the pro-Palestine supporter to leave the scene.

One pro-Palestine supporter threw a water bottle at pro-Israel supporters holding the Israeli flag, leading the police to warn pro-Palestine supporters to control themselves.

Throughout the protest, constant honking noises and obscenities from both sides filled the area as cars drove by the corner with passengers holding different flags.

Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip for eight years and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, agreed to observe a 72-hour cease-fire with Israel on Friday after weeks of violence.

The cease-fire fell apart less than two hours later after the Israeli military claimed two of its soldiers were attacked and one was kidnapped by Hamas. Hamas officials said it took the soldier but retracted the statement soon afterward, according to The Wall Street Journal.

As of Saturday afternoon, nearly 1,600 Palestinians and 66 Israelis have died since Israel launched its operation on July 8, according to The New York Times. Most deaths on the Palestinian side were civilians.

Organizers will hold another pro-Palestine protest on Aug. 10 by the Federal Building.

Compiled by Jeong Park, Bruin senior staff.