2 sides face off at Gaza protests
Israeli official plans to meet with Christian leaders
Israel's top diplomat in Boston has agreed to meet next week with local Christian leaders, including some whose unhappiness with the Israeli military offensive in Gaza fueled contentious protests outside the Park Plaza consulate yesterday.
Jewish community leaders said the meeting between the consul general, Meir Shlomo, and the Christian denominational leaders was in the works before yesterday's protests and was in response to the concerns over the Gaza situation .
The protest highlighted the rising unease among critics of Israel, including some Jewish groups as well as Muslims and Christians, who want Israel to withdraw its troops from Gaza. Israeli troops have launched an offensive in Gaza to rescue a kidnapped soldier and to limit rocket attacks . Yesterday, Israel also sent forces into Lebanon after an attack by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group.
At the protests yesterday, about 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including Episcopal Bishop M. Thomas Shaw and several other Episcopal priests, called on Israel to pull its troops out of Gaza. The protesters held signs reading ``Stop Collective Punishment" and ``Stop the Siege."
``We pray for Israeli soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit and for an immediate and peaceful halt to the hostilities raging for the past two weeks in the Gaza Strip and for the peaceful coexistence of Israel and Palestine," Shaw said. He called for the end to the Gaza occupation and to terrorism against Israel.
About 50 pro-Israel demonstrators held blue-and-white Israeli flags and signs reading ``We Support Israel" and ``End the Missiles." Nancy K. Kaufman , the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, asked why the protesters hadn't demonstrated when Israelis were killed, and said: ``There needs to be an end to terror. That is what we pray for."
At several points, protesters started shouting at one another. While Shaw was speaking, an Israel supporter stopped his
The two sides began arguing vociferously at the entrance to the building housing the consulate, and the police officers called for backup.
The police asked the two groups -- who were standing on both sides of Park Plaza, separated by Hadassah Way and by the entryway to the Statler building -- to stop using bullhorns to communicate, saying that such action requires a permit. The arguments then quieted down.
On both sides, passions were running deep. Susan Allen , a protester from Brookline, accused Israel of ``bulldozing the homes of innocent children," and an organizer of the protest, Sharif Fam, said, ``if you support war crimes, you unfortunately will become a target."
A counterdemonstrator, Dexter Van Zile , accused the Episcopal Church of ``defamation of the Jewish homeland" and said ``Episcopalians should be ashamed of Bishop Shaw's presence here," while Andrew Tarsy , the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said ``it's a sad day when legitimate social action merges with the extremist fringe, and that's what's happening here."
Eventually, heavy rain began to fall, and the demonstrators dispersed.
Both sides are hoping for a more civil conversation next week, when, at the request of the Jewish Community Relations Council, the consul general will talk with Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox leaders about the Middle East. Many of the Christian denominations share Shaw's concerns, if not his tactics.
``Consul General Meir Shlomo is looking forward to meeting with Christian community leaders next week," said Bonnie Rose Schulman, consular spokeswoman . ``He sees this as a welcome opportunity to brief the Christian community on recent developments in Israel, and more generally, to continue our productive discussion on the significance of Israel to the Christian community."
Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com. 
