A coalition of students holding a memorial for Palestinian victims of the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip were met with a counter-protest by pro-Israeli students yesterday.

The memorial, which was erected by students from the Gaza Solidarity Coalition around 9 a.m., comprised 210 coffins as well as signs commemorating children who died during the conflict.

According to the Associated Press, at least 1,259 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died in the conflict, which began Dec. 27. Israel and Hamas both declared separate cease-fires Sunday.

At around 11:30 a.m., students from Tikvah: Students for Israel entered Sproul Plaza holding signs which bore slogans such as "Free Gaza from Hamas."

"Tikvah came over and responded by holding up their own signs," said Dina Omar, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine. "It was totally inappropriate. They were manipulating the original intention of our protest."

The protests follow an altercation between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian students in Eshleman Hall last semester that lead to the citations of two students and one non-student with battery.

After campus police arrived to monitor the situation, the groups made an agreement to stand in separate spaces so as not to block each other.

"They agreed to conduct themselves in a certain manner that did not encroach upon each other's space, displays, things of that nature," said Amanda Carlton, the campus's program coordinator for student groups.

However, members of both groups claimed the other group had violated the agreement, and each affirmed their right to display their own message.

"It's just like Israel-Palestine," said Tikvah member Matthew White. "They're not respecting the cease-fire."

Members of Tikvah and the coalition expressed the need for free speech despite ideological differences.

"They're claiming the tragedies in Gaza are due to Israel; we're claiming it's due to Hamas," said Brandon Amiri, one of Tikvah's co-founders. "We want our message to be heard, and we want their message to be heard as well."

Antonia Porter, a graduate student in international studies who witnessed the protests, said she hoped supporters of both causes could participate in more peaceful dialogue.

"They just need to be able to listen to each other, and this seems like more of a stand-off," she said. "I just think there's more constructive ways to deal with it."

Tags: STUDENT LIFE, TIKVAH, SJP