BOSTON--A vigil mourning recent Palestinian deaths was held last night in front of the Israeli consulate near Boston Common.

Over 60 black-clad students and local residents circled silently in front of the building to protest what they called unwarranted violence by Israel.

The vigil was the third the group has sponsored in three weeks.

They carried signs with the names and ages of Palestinians who have died in the past 20 days of violence in the Middle East.

The protesters included Jews, Palestinians and other local residents.

"I am neither Arab nor Jew, but human beings are dying and that's enough for me," said Somerville resident Matt Williams when asked why he attended the vigil.

The protesters, whose efforts were coordinated by the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, for the third time unsuccessfully attempted to present two letters requesting immediate recognition of "uninhibited Israeli force" to Itzhak Levanon, Israel's consul general in Boston.

"Refusal to engage in a process leading to durable peace...has led de facto to a garrison Israeli state," read the first letter, which outlined alleged inequalities of the peace process.