- Muslim and pro-Palestinian activists in Allentown decried officials' full support of Israel in the wake of humanitarian concerns in Gaza
- Rally-goers spoke out against violence by Israeli military forces and blockades against those in the Gaza Strip
- Many continue to mourn as thousands have been killed in both Gaza and Israel since last weekend's attack by Hamas
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Chants to "stop the killing, stop the hate" in Gaza and the West Bank, along with chants calling for freedom in Palestinian territory and an end to Israeli military action, rang out in Center City Allentown on Friday afternoon.
Hundreds gathered outside the PPL Center for a "Rally to End the Siege in Gaza."
Some took a more extreme stance, chanting "Free from the river to the sea" and referring to Israel as a racist state due to its handling of incidents of violence with the Palestinian population over decades.
Those in the Lehigh Valley with connections to Israel and Gaza continue to mourn and pray for those impacted by the violence in the region, which has in the past week killed more than an estimated 1,800 people in Gaza and 1,300 Israelis since Saturday's attack by Hamas militants.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza region continuously since Hamas’ attack, where hundreds were massacred in southern Israel and some 150 people were kidnapped from Israel to Gaza as hostages. Those taken included citizens of Brazil, Britain, Italy, the Philippines and the United States, as well as many Israelis.
Many of those killed in the region so far have been children and civilians.
"The people of Gaza are suffering at the current moment, they are experiencing total violence against them and none of us are OK with the humanitarian rights that are being violated in Gaza right now," said activist Raya Abdelaal, one of the organizers.
Calls against violence, military oppression
Activists and local Muslim leaders spoke and were present, noting the long-term violence that has occurred in the region as a result of the conflicts that resulted from the blockade, bombings and settlements of Palestinian territory. The focus, however, was on the violence to civilians occurring as a result of the Israeli response to the attack by Hamas.
"We're really looking at the symptom of what's going on here — the root cause is 75 years of no freedom in their life," said rally attendee Ahmad Mahmud. "Since 2007, they've been locked in a cage, open their prison, constantly bombed.
"An end to that is what people are looking for."
Israel's bombardment of the region, the closed borders and a lack of basic necessities are leading to a massive human rights crisis, organizers of the rally said Thursday. Organizers expressed fear that Israel will attempt to wipe Gaza off the map as it retaliates for last weekend's attacks.
"This is the outcry of the voiceless in Gaza and the suffering," said Imam Daniel Hernandez, of the Muslim Association of Lehigh Valley and a rally organizer. "We're just here to be a voice for those that might be right now moving from the north of Gaza by force to the south.
Hernandez called for prayer for peace, justice and equality and "whether in America, in Palestine, in Israel, we should be human beings first."
"We think that the attacking of emergency vehicle is inhumane," Hernandez said. "We think that the random destroying of buildings with people inside is inhumane. And we just think that human beings should be aware that this is an injustice. Because all lives matter, and the Palestinian lives matter. This is a suffering of more than 75 years."
Many car horns were sounded off throughout the rally, seemingly in support of those taking to the Soldiers and Sailors monument and waving Palestinian flags.
A deadly situation escalates
Retaliatory airstrikes by the Israeli military in Gaza since Saturday have been reported to be deadlier and more widespread than past campaigns, wiping out entire neighborhoods and forcing hundreds of thousands in Gaza to temporary shelters.
At the same time, the Gaza Strip faces shortages of fuel, electricity and food supplies as Israel engaged in a retaliatory siege of the region, a densely populated territory the size of Philadelphia with about 2.2 million Palestinians.
Hospitals, already at full capacity, are at risk of "turning into morgues" if backup generators stop working, Red Cross representatives warned after Gaza's only power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday.
Israel has vowed not to restore electricity or allow basic resources and humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas releases around 150 hostages it abducted during its attacks last Saturday.
A mass exodus has begun from the northern part of the besieged region, including Gaza City, on the demand of Israel's military ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group. About 1 million people, almost half the Gaza population, are in the area impacted by the evacuation demand.
The United Nations issued a warning that the forced relocation would have "devastating humanitarian consequences," and Hamas leadership urged residents not to comply.
In announcing the siege, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: "We are fighting human animals, and we will act accordingly."
Nearly all residents are unable to leave Gaza due to the continued 16-year blockade imposed by both Israel and Egypt after Hamas gained power.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Hamas attacks on Israel but similarly criticized the continued Israeli air strikes, as well as the plans for an all-out siege of the Gaza Strip.
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities; now it will only deteriorate exponentially. Medical equipment, food, fuel and other humanitarian supplies are desperately needed, along with access for humanitarian personnel," Guterres said earlier in the week.
In an address to the country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the military offensive is just beginning.
"We have only started striking Hamas," he said. "What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations."
According to NPR on Monday, in audio released through Hamas channels on the Telegram messaging platform and other mediums, Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades said the group will execute a civilian hostage each time Israel bombs a home without warning and would release the sound and images of that execution.
"We hold, before the world, the Zionist enemy responsible for this decision. The ball is in their court from this moment," said the group's spokesman, who goes by the name Abu Obeida.
The advertising for Friday's rally in Allentown said this: "MALV reaffirms its support for the Palestinian people and their right to freedom from the Israeli occupation."
"We came out here because the people of Gaza are suffering at the current moment; they are experiencing total violence against them," said an attendee and speaker who wished only to be addressed as Layah. "None of us are OK with the humanitarian rights that are being violated in Gaza right now."
Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley response
Aaron Gorodzinsky, the director of campaign and security planning for the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, noted that throughout the world as a result of the Hamas attack, Jewish people are fearing further attacks coming from Hamas or other terrorist actors, even in the U.S.
"Unfortunately, there is going to be civilian casualties in Gaza, from innocent people who are ruled by a terrorist organization," Gorodzinsky said. "The narrative is going to blame Israel for going into Gaza, when they were provoked by a terrorist organization to precisely do that because they know that the international community is going to turn against Israel, and they're going to blame Israel."
He said that many are worried the violence in Israel from Hamas could have international reverberations for Jewish people elsewhere, and that many in the local community have been working and communicating with law enforcement and elected officials to address security concerns.
"We feel that international attention is going to change blame to Israel, and then we in the local Jewish communities are going to be blamed for the situation," Gordodzinsky said.
"That creates security implications for [the] community and that creates also fear for our community members who don't even feel comfortable showing how much they care for their family and friends who might have been murdered by terrorists."
He said that Israel will have to do what it has to in order to defend the people who live there, and that includes going into Gaza to get rid of people from the Hamas terrorist organization that is responsible for Saturday's massacre.
He said there is a false equivalency between the military actions given the Israeli government's advance warnings, and that while members of the federation are deeply concerned about the humanitarian costs, Gordodzinsky said at this point to prevent the situation from occurring again, he does not know what other response there could be.
"This is a terrorist organization. This is a government [that] doesn't care for its people, [that] spends millions upon millions of dollars of international aid to buy rockets to launch against Israeli civilians without any care in the world."
Gordodzinsky also voiced concern about the silence of groups like MALV not speaking out about the initial attack by Hamas.
"Their silence spoke so loudly in our Jewish community, and we continue to be hurt by that silence," Gordodzinsky said. "I'm sure that people who are marching are not calling for a two-state solution or for Hamas to take down their guns and negotiate a peace and surrender."
"Every single American knows a Muslim or an Arab, and they know we're not terrorists," Abdelaal said. "I don't ask white people why the KKK does what they do. And I don't expect to be asked that back.
"I don't expect people to come to me and be like, speak on behalf of why you think I'm not part of an organization that spews hate and violence. What I can say is, we don't support any sort of violence against any type of people."
"Our agenda here from the organizers' perspective is to create awareness, to say that Gaza needs electricity, Gaza needs its resources," Hernandez said. "Basically stop the bombing stop the destruction.
"Is killing innocent people justified? No, either way."
Rep. Susan Wild, federal response under fire
The rally lasted for approximately three hours and included a march down Hamilton Street to the federal courthouse that began at 5 p.m. following initial speakers' remarks.
There, speakers lashed out against U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, for her vocal support of Israel in the conflict.
"We voted you in, and we can vote you out," Abdelaal said into a megaphone outside the courthouse, resulting in cheers from the crowd. "I will personally canvass for any other candidate if you continue to side with the people committing the genocide against our people. We are people too, we deserve to live."
Speakers also decried the responses from U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, and Gov. Josh Shapiro, who claim their support seems to be fully with Israel in the conflict.
Abdelaal says she canvassed for Wild in 2020 and was a supporter, but has been highly disappointed about her stances regarding the issue.
"There is no reason for her not to at least call out the humanitarian crisis that is happening right now in Palestine," Abdelaal said.
A prayer vigil held Tuesday evening at the Jewish Community Center in Allentown was marked by shock and solidarity as a result of the surprise attacks on Israel.
At the event, leaders called for support for Israel and the victims of the Hamas attack.
Recorded statements from Shapiro, Wild and Fetterman were presented.
"The United States must do everything possible to stand firm with our ally Israel and its right to defend itself and its people, and I remain unwavering in my commitment to efforts to restore peace and security in the region,” Wild said in a release following the Hamas attacks.
Friday afternoon, in the midst of the rally, Wild tweeted that she "unequivocally support[s'] Israel’s right to defend itself and secure return of hostages. Hamas must be brought to justice for horrific terrorism.
"I also urge that military operations follow humanitarian law to protect the lives of innocent civilians in Gaza, half of whom are children."
Earlier Friday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III condemnedthe "bloodthirsty, fanatical and hateful" attacks by Hamas and said he had met with Netanyahu and members of the Israeli War Cabinet to convey the United States' "ironclad" support for Israel and commitment to deterring further escalation.
"So, make no mistake: The United States will make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself," he said.
Austin noted at least 27 Americans were killed so far in the conflict.
Abdelaal noted in closing remarks at the Allentown protest that as long as violence in Gaza continues, Friday's would not be the last rally.
