A pro-Israel rally outside the federal building in West Los Angeles on Wednesday drew hundreds of people showing support for Israel and calling for an end to rocket fire from Hamas.
According to the Jewish Journal, over 600 supporters of Israel gathered at the location.
Many demonstrators carried signs, among these were banners that were half the Israeli flag and half the American flag, symbolizing the shared American and Jewish identities of many supporters of Israel, reported the Los Angeles Daily News.
The demonstration was partly in response to the previous day’s pro-Palestinian protest outside Los Angeles’s Israeli consulate,
“Israel wants peace,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, and the rally’s organizer.
“We are calling for an immediate end to rocket attacks and, ultimately, peace,” Rothstein told the Daily News.
Rothstein later tweeted about the demonstration, “Hundreds of people stood up for #Israel today in West Los Angeles #israelunderattack.”
The rally was one of 18 held simultaneously in locations across the US.
Supporters from not only Los Angeles but all over Southern California showed up to voice their support for Israel.
Galina Blank, 50, told the Jewish Journal she was there to “show my unwavering support for Israel… (Israel) is not alone. We are with her and will support her until the end.”
Demonstrators were from all age ranges. A group of students from Sinai Akiba Academy attended, waving Israeli flags.
Ido Shalev, 12, told the Jewish Journal that he was there to “protest and stand with my country.”
“I don’t think what Hamas is doing is right. They are firing rockets into the heart of Israel. I am here to assure that the United States stands by Israel as its big brother,” he said.
The rally also featured Israeli music, dancing and singing. Many drivers honked their horns in support as they drove by.