HILLIARD, Ohio — As the war between the Hamas militant group and Israel continues, several groups in central Ohio are calling for an end to the violence.
The Ohio chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations was joined Wednesday by representatives from Jewish Voice for Peace, Arab American of Central Ohio, Next Generation for Palestine and Students for Justice in Palestine at Ohio State in standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
They want an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. They also claim the war of today and the wars of recent years are the result of Israeli occupation of Palestinian areas and the fighting won’t end until the occupation ends.
Amina Bahrumi, executive director for CAIR-Ohio, said the money the United States is giving Israel is only intensifying the violence and bombings on Gaza and the West Bank. She said the flow of money needs to stop and the U.S. government should look at ways to a solution.
"Our government has the ability to put an end to this by not funding and being complicit and calling for an end to the escalation and truly being able to find the ability to talk about freedom and justice for Palestinians,” she said.
Gaza is a small strip of land in Israel at only about 141 square miles but is home to more than 2.2 million Palestinians. The crowded nature of Gaza means civilians are caught in the crossfire. The war has already left thousands dead and more injured on both sides of the conflict.
Shereen Amro has family in Gaza and said the past few days have been nerve-wracking. She said she wakes up every morning in hopes that her family is OK.
"It's a nightmare because sometimes I'm scared to look at the phone because I don't want to hear the news that something happened to them,” Amro said.
The messages from her family are coming farther and farther apart now that much of Gaza and the West Bank are without electricity, internet and phone service.
Gaza has been occupied by the Israeli government for decades. It was part of what was known as Palestine prior to the creation of Israel in 1948. Palestinians fled from their homes upon the creation of Israel into Gaza, which was controlled by Egypt from 1948 to 1967.
It, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem, came under Israeli power in 1967. The occupation of Gaza became even more strict when Hamas took power in 2007 and Israel imposed an air, sea and land blockade of the Gaza Strip. Egypt also closed its border with Gaza when Hamas seized power by force.
The speakers at Wednesday’s news conference claim there is unequal treatment globally of Israelis and Palestinians. Mazen Rasoul, a central Ohio attorney with family in the West Bank, said nothing will change until the actions of both sides are treated equally by the world powers.
"There must be a better future for the region. Without holding one side accountable and putting all the blame on the occupied people, you will never reach that,” Rasoul said.
Connie Hammond, a representative of the Columbus chapter of Jewish Voice of Peace, also called for an end to the fighting. She said the losses, whether Israeli or Palestinian, are still someone’s family. The Jewish Voice of Peace national organization has taken a stance that Israel needs to end its occupation of Palestinian areas.
“For the past year, the most racist, fundamentalist, far-right government in Israeli history has ruthlessly escalated its military occupation over Palestinians in the name of Jewish supremacy with violent expulsions and home demolitions, mass killings, military raids on refugee camps, unrelenting siege and daily humiliation,” read Hammond from a national statement. “In recent weeks, Israeli forces repeatedly stormed the holiest Muslim sites in Jerusalem.”