Rally for peace in Gaza
Photo from Rally for Peace in Gaza courtesy of Lamron Photo Editor FP Zatlukal
On Nov. 10 2023 there was a Rally for Peace in Gaza hosted by the Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP) alongside the SUNY Geneseo student-run chapter of Peace Action. The Veterans for Peace Rochester chapter was also in attendance, showing their support for the event. This event took place in the Village Park from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m and included a myriad of speeches and comments given by the aforementioned groups members and leaders as well as the leader of the Democratic-Socialists of Americas budding Rochester group.
The gathering’s main points surrounded the desire for an immediate ceasefire on both sides of the conflict, stopping the financial aid being provided to Israel’s military by America, and helping to get resources needed for those currently living in peril along the Gaza Strip. The Peace Action group made a statement highlighting how the longstanding apartheid, maintained by the Israeli officials, has decreased the ability for humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian citizens affected by the bombings ordered by the Israeli Defense Forces. They also brought up how this blocking of aid through food, water, medicine, and other necessary resources is, “a war crime and a violation of the Geneva Convention.” These rules were established with the ending of World War II in the hopes of mass scale collective punishment and attempts of ethnic cleansing to never again occur.
All groups noted that they condemn the actions of Hamas and do not support violence, the taking of hostages, or decimation of property from either side of the conflict. There has been much tension in this region since the re-division of the Israeli territory by European forces post-World-War-II, which is rearing in full force through the increasing damages done by both sides of this conflict. The GVCP, Geneseo Peace Action, and Veterans for Peace feel this will only devolve as violence becomes more grand-scale and results in more civilian deaths. Elle, the current president of Peace Action, noted that “the recent violence going on in the Gaza Strip…has so far claimed the lives of over 11,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis; among these counts, over 4,000 [of them] innocent Palestinian children.”
The leading groups of the rally encouraged all those attending to write, email, call, and send letters to local representatives as well as to the White House in order to make the desire for ceasefire and peaceful negotiation for those in attendance of the rally known to our nations governing body. GVCP provided the attendees with printed out copies of letters that needed to only be dated, signed, and mailed out to the White House in order to mitigate the barrier of many advocates who are unsure of what exactly should be covered when writing to government representatives.
After speeches were given by GVCP, Geneseo Peace Action, and Veterans for Peace some of the attendees provided online journalistic resources that could be used to stay up-to-date with on-going events and the progression of the conflict. It ended with all the attendees lining up along the sidewalk running parallel to main street in order to display the sheer number of people who showed up to advocate for a resolution to this on-going crisis.