Israeli and Palestinian sympathizers took verbal aim at one another in Toronto Thursday night when simultaneous rallies were held in support of both sides of the violent conflict.

"I don't think it's right that they can criticize Israel if they haven't been there and seen what they do," argued Weston Morgan, one of thousands who gathered near Beth Tzedec Synagogue at Bathurst and Eglinton around 7pm.

The rally was one of nine across the country, including gatherings in Halifax, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver.

The message at each was simple: Israelis have also been victimized by the ongoing conflict.

"The people who live around Gaza have faced eight years of just hell," argued UJ Federation's Ted Sokolsky. "They want to live their lives in peave, they want to share that land."

"There's been approximately 60 rockets a day fired into Israel fired by the Hamas government," continued Jewish Defence League's Meir Weinstein.

But in front of Mississauga's city hall an opposing view was pervasive during a candlelight vigil that more than 1,000 people attended.

And even across Bathurst from the countless Israeli flags, several voiced their opposition in written and vocal form.

"Stop the Gaza Massacre - Independent Jewish Voices," one sign read.

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