Jews and Palestinians came together Thursday afternoon to protest the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Led by Scott Camil, coordinator for the Gainesville chapter of Veterans for Peace, protesters stood at the corner of University Avenue and 13th Street holding signs protesting the violence in the Middle East.
"I am a Jewish person," Camil said. "It's really important for Jews and Palestinians to work together and do what we can to raise awareness and set an example."
Violence is not an acceptable means of conflict resolution, he said.
Camil said that because $3.5 billion in U.S. tax money goes to Israel each year in the form of weapons, it makes the conflict American citizens' business.
"I have been to the Gaza Strip, and the living conditions there are unacceptable," Camil said. "[Conditions] are not good enough for my family, and if they are not good enough for my family, they are not good enough for any family."
The protesters will meet again Friday afternoon.
