As hostilities escalate in Gaza, Lehigh Valley Muslims call for peace and justice for suffering Palestinian civilians

• Local leaders in the Muslim and Arab communities have organized a Friday afternoon rally seeking peace and justice for Palestinian civilians
• Organizers condemned Hamas's attack on Israel Saturday but said bombing Gaza is creating a human rights crisis
• The march and rally begin at 3:30 p.m. in Center City Allentown

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Nadi Latefa has been having nightmares. The trustee of the Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley learned his cousin died Monday in Gaza. He and his family were trying to find shelter when they were caught in an Israeli bombing raid retaliating against Hamas's bloody strike Saturday against the Jewish state, he said.

As Israel cuts off electricity, water and gas to Gaza — a territory the size of Philadelphia but with about 700,000 more people — Latefa said he thinks of his mother, nieces and nephews who are still there. He has not heard from them in 24 hours, he said, and he's wracked by guilt that he's watching the violence unfold from the security of the Lehigh Valley.

"I want this madness to stop. I want the cessation of hostilities, the creation of a humanitarian corridor so people can get to safety," Latefa said.

That sentiment is at the heart of a rally and march he's helped plan in Center City Allentown Friday afternoon. Much of America's attention has focused on the horrific violence that killed more than 1,000 Israelis and the capture of more than 100 hostages by Hamas, he and co-organizer Raya Abdelaal said. They were quick to condemn the attacks, but they said Americans need to be as aware of the plight facing Palestinian civilians.

Both she and Latefa expressed fear that Israel will attempt to wipe Gaza off the map when it retaliates for this weekend's attacks. When Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, Israel and Egypt closed off the territory's borders for security. The resulting 15 years of forced isolation has led to widespread poverty. Now, Israel's bombardment of the region, the closed borders and a lack of basic necessities are leading to a massive human rights crisis, they said.

Abdelaal said they are calling on Americans to recognize the rights for Palestine to exist and for Palestinians to live in peace. It wasn't lost on Abdelaal that those in the Jewish community are seeking the same rights and recognition for Israel as many in the Arab and Muslim communities.

"We need to make sure that people in Gaza are treated like human beings. They are just civilians trying to survive in their everyday lives," said Abdelaal, the daughter of Palestinian refugees.

"My fear is that they are going to commit genocide where nobody else can see," Latefa said.

Interfaith relations in the Lehigh Valley, Abdelaal said, have generally been peaceful. But both were concerned that knee-jerk reactions from politicians to back Israel and one-sided reports from media outlets could fuel harassment and violence in the United States. Part of the problem, they said, is that the decades-long conflict in the Middle East is usually presented to American audiences from the perspective of Israel.

American media often picks up on hate speech from extremist organizations, such as Hamas's call for a "Day of Rage" against the Jews, Abdelaal said. However, she said that many media consumers fail to understand that those views do not widely represent most Palestinians. Blaming Palestinians for the violence committed by Hamas would be like holding White people responsible for the atrocities committed by the KKK against Blacks, she said.

"All people hear is, 'Islam, terrorists. Islam, terrorists. What are people supposed to think?'" she said.

Organizers have planned a rally and march calling for justice and peace in Palestine starting at 3:30 p.m. Friday. The event begins at the corner of 7th and Hamilton Streets in Allentown.