Israeli, Palestinian supporters hold opposing rallies

ATLANTA - Large groups of demonstrators supporting Israelis and Palestinians rallied Friday on opposite sides of an Atlanta street at rush hour, waving signs and shouting chants at each other. <br> <br> The rallies were emotionally charged but nonviolent. Several hundred people gathered on each side of Spring Street, and Atlanta police put barricades in place and had officers on hand. <br> <br> On the east side of the street, more than 300 Palestinian supporters waved signs that said ``Stop U.S. Military Aid to Israel&#39;&#39; and ``Stop the Holocaust of Palestinians.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> On the west side, where a slightly smaller crowd of Israeli supporters gathered, signs bore side-by-side photos of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. <br> <br> The demonstrations lasted more than two hours. <br> <br> They came on the same day a meeting between Arafat and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was postponed. The United States has demanded that Palestinian leaders condemn terrorism. <br> <br> The Palestinian rally was organized in advance, and the Israeli rally was quickly scheduled in response, demonstrators on both sides said. Both sides said they had police permits to demonstrate. <br> <br> Some drivers along Spring Street, a busy corridor in Atlanta&#39;s Midtown district, honked their horns or shook their fists in support of either group.