Several dozen people representing the Capital Region Muslim community took their calls for a cease-fire in Gaza to the state Capitol in Albany on Wednesday as peace talks continued amid an Israeli offensive in Rafah.
The group put on display their support for Palestinians in Gaza and a cease-fire agreement between warring parties.
“We as Muslims remain holy and truly objective when it comes to matters of right and wrong,” said Masjid Nabvi's Imam Jamal Shah. “In this particular case, we can see the aggressor, which is the Israeli state, the Israeli government, and those who enable them are enacting what we can only call collective punishment upon the civilian population of Gaza.”
Those in attendance hoisted signs that read, “stop the genocide in Gaza” and “let Gaza live.”
The demonstration came as word of Israeli advancements in Rafa began to circulate. The southern Gaza city has become a place where Palestinians have sought refuge from combat across the strip.
There are also ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas that are reportedly nearing a conclusion. Protesters were cautiously optimistic about the ceasefire negotiations.
“I think the question fundamentally is flawed because what the question does is presupposes a context that ignores everything that the Palestinians have gone through since 1947,” said Taiymoor Naqi of the Al Hidaya Center in Latham, when asked where Hamas lands in all of this. “What do you expect a people who’ve been deprived of life, liberty, property, their humanity, their resources, their access to health care, their access to education. What are they supposed to do?”
Organizers said they chose West Capitol Park as a rallying point in hopes of having their message seen and heard by the many state leaders who pass the park on a daily basis.
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there.