MIAMI BEACH — As the war in the Middle East intensifies, tensions here in South Florida have increased.

Separate demonstrations kicked off at Lummus Park in Miami Beach on Saturday afternoon, where pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered to voice their opinions and concerns as the world enters the sixth week since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.

On the Israeli side of Ocean Drive, demonstrators carried with them Israel’s flag, photos of those kidnapped by Hamas and signs; and just across the street, pro-Palestinian demonstrators stood with signs and flags of Palestine flew.

A large presence of Miami Beach Police officers arrived promptly in response to the conflicting demonstrations to make sure that neither side got violent and disrupted the peace.

Before police arrived, CBS News Miami’s Morgan Rynor witnessed a heated exchange between a single pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protestor, where emotions rode high.

Though demonstrators from both sides of the conflict were present at Miami Beach, the pro-Palestinian crowd was much larger than the pro-Israeli group as most supporters were recognizing the Shabbat: the Jewish day of rest. However, as Rynor noted, most of the pro-Israeli supporters who showed up at Saturday’s demonstrator were Jewish either non-religious or had to get special permission from their rabbis to participate.

Pro-Israeli

On the Israeli side of the demonstrations, protesters told Rynor said that everyone is the “only one person removed” from what has happened in the Middle East. Rynor said that those who spoke with her say that even though they hear calls for a cease-fire from the pro-Palestinian side, pro-Israeli protesters call back for the safe return of those taken hostage by Hamas — a sentiment shared with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who made similar comments earlier Saturday.

“It hurts everyone around the pro-Israeli side to hear everyone calling for a cease-fire, to stop the fighting,” Rynor said. “But in that message, they’re also not simultaneously saying ‘release the hostages.’”

“And, that is where a lot of the anger comes from because the people from the pro-Israeli here say that ‘of course, they feel bad for the innocent civilians in Gaza that are being harmed in the process of this war. But of course, what would you expect a mother or a father to do if their kid was under attack in Gaza? So, that is the message that this pro-Israeli side trying to get across right now.”

Pro-Palestinian

Meanwhile, just across the street, CBS News Miami’s Ted Scouten watched as how the pro-Palestinian group grew significantly over time from just a dozen people into a moving protest as hundreds marched down Ocean Drive later in the afternoon. Scouten said that they were traveling across Lummus Park in protest before settling at one end to form a healing circle: “a moment where they can all just be together and be in the moment,” one demonstrator told Scouten.

Pro-Palestinian supporters told Scouten that were calling for a cease-fire and the freedom of Palestine, along with the seizure of any funding going toward attacking Palestinian civilians. Additionally, they spoke negatively of both Netanyahu and President Joe Biden, who has tried to balance both sides of the conflict since the war began. Scouten also said that supporters have called the attacks “genocide” while demanding an immediate cease-fire.

“There is definitely a lot of talk about concern over the number of civilians who have been dying in the conflict,” Scouten said.  

“Obviously, they are quite angry about all of the deaths that have been occurring in the Gaza Strip. They’ve been talking about how hospitals have been bombed, areas where civilians have been being bombed, talking about women and children dying in the Gaza Strip, so that’s a major part of it.”

Scouten said that it seemed that the takeover of Ocean Drive wasn’t intentional and just happened as both sides grew.

Police Response

City of Miami Beach Police Officer Christopher Bess told CBS News Miami said that there was extensive planning from law enforcement to make sure both sides didn’t get out of control.

“We are working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that everyone is peacefully assembling and also we don’t neglect the public safety element of all of this,” he told Rynor.

“The message is very clear: We are here to monitor the sequence of events, make sure that everyone’s voices are heard and that their constitutional rights to peacefully assemble aren’t infringed upon. However, we just can’t stress enough how important that it is to be lawful, and also the public safety element as well.”

Bess said that law enforcement was using cameras and all available resources to ensure that Miami Beach residents and visitors, along with the demonstrators, were safe during the event.

“We do everything in our power logistically to ensure that each side has a fair chance to exercise their constitutional right,” he said. “Obviously, whatever happens after that, we’re here to monitor that and ensure that everyone is safe, everyone’s voices are being heard but also in a peaceful manner.”