Local Groups Mobilize Support For Israelis, Palestinians

As violence continues in Gaza, local groups in Boston are mobilizing to support Israelis and Palestinians affected by the violence.

More than 40 local groups plan to rally on Monday night in Newton to show their support for Israelis caught up on the recent violence in the Gaza region. Gov. Deval Patrick says he plans to attend that rally.

"I'm going to go, as I have in the past, to express my support for the community and to express my concern for the innocents on both sides who are caught up in the violence," Patrick said.

Several Boston-area Jewish leaders have arrived on the ground in Israel and are planning to give away more than $100,000 in aid to Israeli victims of the fighting.

"The Boston Jewish community is mobilizing to support efforts to deliver immediate services and assistance on the ground," said Jeremy Burton, who works with the Jewish Community Relations Council, "including trauma counseling, financial assistance, portable bomb shelters and other initiatives to move children out of harm's way."

For Palestinians supporters, getting assistance to the Gaza Strip is more difficult.

The United States classifies Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, as a terrorist organization. Ahmed Moor, a Harvard student with the Palestinian Solidarity Committee, says this makes it hard to show the same kind of financial support.

"Because the U.S. government doesn't recognize the groups that are in control in the Gaza Strip, sending them money or aid is impossible for a U.S. citizen," Moor said.

Moor has family in the Gaza Strip.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Jeremy Burton. We regret the error.