Bay Area Palestinian and Jewish leaders condemn attacks on innocent civilians
SAN FRANCISCO - Jewish and Palestinian communities in the Bay Area seem to be agreeing on one thing. They both condemn attacks on innocent civilians.
Hundreds of people gathered for a candlelight vigil at Dolores Park in San Francisco Tuesday night, including Omar Khoury.
"We demand one thing, that Palestinians are able to live a life free from violence, free from fear, and free from a military occupation that has now gone on for more than 75 years," Khoury said.
The group stood in solidarity with Palestinians after the bombing of a hospital which claimed hundreds of lives in the Gaza Strip, an attack Israel blamed on terrorists.
Sami Mshasha was among the crowd of demonstrators while visiting from Jerusalem.
Mshasha just recently retired from the United Nations where he worked to help refugees in Gaza.
"I just lost 14 of my colleagues, including a person that worked with me for several years in my own office," Mshasha said.
The ripple effect from the war also turned deadly in the U.S. over the weekend.
A 6-year-old boy was stabbed to death because of his Muslim faith.
His mother was also attacked.
Authorities have arrested their landlord.
"It’s devastating. It’s really devastating," Khoury said.
"It’s sad. It’s horrendous and the reality is, it could’ve been a Jewish boy," Tyler Gregory, CEO of the Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council told KTVU.
The tragedy prompted the JCRC to join 120 Jewish groups across the country in calling for an end to Islamaphobia and anti-Arab hate.
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"We do not need this war to come here," Gregory said. "We need to make sure our two communities are protected, and we need to stand up for one another."
Jewish groups have offered an olive branch in hopes for peace and there seems to be at least some agreement.
"We need to work toward a credible peace where people are treated equally," Mshasha said.
Palestinian-American demonstrators in the Bay Area are calling for the U.S. to stop funding Israel.
Congress is not able to send any additional aid until the next House Speaker is chosen.