Cops keep Israel-Palestine protests apart

Police have kept rival groups apart as demonstrators gathered outside Melbourne's state library for a rally about the ongoing tensions at the Israel/Gaza border.

More than 100 people gathered on the steps of the library on Saturday afternoon as part of a rally organised by the group Australian Friends of Palestine.

The pro-Palestine group urged its supporters to continue applying pressure on governments over Israeli army killings of protesters at the contentious border.

Across the street, up to 50 pro-Israel supporters set up a makeshift "Israel Embassy" while playing the Australian anthem over a speaker system.

Police and officers on bicycles and horses monitored the crowed and kept the groups separate.

One woman from the mounted police unit was taken to hospital after falling from her horse when it was spooked while walking along tram tracks on Swanston St.