Jakkar Aimery, The Detroit News
Dearborn — Political activist, academic and author Cornel West joined Michigan Task Force for Palestine on Tuesday to call for an end to the siege of Gaza and a permanent cease-fire in the territory.
Several hundred people attended the Gaza Endures Interfaith Rally in Dearborn. Faith leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities spoke out about what they called a “genocidal” war on Gaza.
Songs featured Arabic and English. Police could be seen flanking the stage at the venue and at entrances.
Cornel West sits with religious leaders and Michigan Task Force for Palestine leaders at the Gaza Endures Interfaith Rally at Greenfield Manor in Dearborn on Tuesday.
“Oh, what a blessing, what an honor, what a privilege to be here, Dearborn, Michigan!” West said to a cheering crowd at Greenfield Manor on Greenfield Road. “… Brothers and sisters, in the face of overwhelming hatred as well as terror as well as trauma, the challenge becomes: can we respond to hatred without hating others?
“I hate the Israeli occupation, I hate the Israeli domination, I hate the Israeli genocide … but that doesn’t mean I hate all of Jewish brothers and sisters.”
Before the rally, West, 70, an Independent 2024 presidential hopeful, said the “moral plight” of Palestinians is joined by people who are struggling against domination around the world. He called for accountability from the Biden administration and Israeli defense forces to be brought before the International Criminal Court.
Cornel West speaks to reporters before the Gaza Endures Interfaith Rally at Greenfield Manor in Dearborn, calling for accountability from the Biden administration and Israeli defense forces to be brought before the International Criminal Court, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
He said his visit was in support of “my precious brothers and sisters in Dearborn who are fundamentally committed to casting a limelight on the precious Palestinians undergoing genocidal attack in Gaza.” He was the keynote speaker.
“Every struggle against injustice has polarizing effects,” West told The Detroit News before the rally. “We’re bringing out the injustices that have been rendered invisible … when you have nearly 8,000 precious Palestinian babies who are being killed … and almost 20,000 as a whole … how can I not raise my voice, how can I not be concerned about that?”
“I would say the same thing if those babies were Jewish, Irish, Italian, Black, Brown — because its a moral issue, its not tribal,” West said.
An air and ground war was launched by Israel in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants. The war has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, displaced some 1.9 million, demolished much of northern Gaza and sparked attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets across the region, the Associated Press reported.
Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, on Oct. 7, and abducted 240 others, AP said.
Protests and rallies have sprung up in the region since the war began. Those at local gatherings participate either for the Palestinian cause or in support of Israel. Some pro-Palestinian protests have become more aggressive as demonstrators have spoken out at private events and outside of the homes of public officials recently.
Rabbi Alana Alpert, leader of Congregation T’chiyah in Ferndale, called for cease-fire and peace for Israelis and Palestinians on Tuesday, saying “the war machine roared into overdrive, raining down incalculable death and destruction.”
Jewish leaders at the Dearborn rally described relations in the war-torn Middle East as an “endless siege and oppression” and called for peace and support for Israelis and Palestinians.
Rabbi Alana Alpert, leader of Congregation T’chiyah in Ferndale, said the “horrifying massacre of Israelis by Hamas” produced the the murder of mostly civilians. ” … The war machine roared into overdrive, raining down incalculable death and destruction.”
One person interrupted her to challenge whether Hamas had killed the Israelis, shouting, “This is debatable.”; another person called out: “Stop!”
“Who does it serve to pit Jews and Palestinians against each other?” Alpert said, prompting responses from the crowd. “… We are here to publicly affirm a vision of safety through solidarity.”
The Rev. Jack Eggleston, retired pastor of Unity Lutheran Church in Southgate, said he would continue demanding “justice, security and peace and dignity” for Palestinians.
The Rev. Jack Eggleston, retired pastor of Unity Lutheran Church in Southgate, recalled the seven times he visited Palestine during the Second Intifada in 2002. He said church leaders in Bethlehem, Palestine, have canceled Christmas celebrations this year in wake of the war.
“We cannot stop demanding the cease-fire,” Eggleston said. “We cannot stop demanding justice, security and peace and dignity for the Palestinian people that has been denied them all of these years.”
Tori Smith of Detroit said it was important to attend to support Palestinians. She said she aligns with West’s position on the war and could support his presidential bid as an independent candidate.
“Historically, everyone focuses on Democratic and Republican parties, but this issue of genocide is really opening people’s eyes to the fact that there are other options, and need to look outside of that if we want justice and if we want peace, because it has not been handled in the correct way,” said Smith, 33.
West announced he was no longer running for president under the Green Party banner, but instead as an Independent.
For Novi resident Tim Hasse, attending the rally was a way of becoming “more politically active and aware.”
“I am pro-Palestine and pro-peace, and I support a permanent cease-fire,” Hasse, 31, said. “I guess people talk about a two-state solution; me, I support a one-state solution so that everyone is free in that area instead of ethnic cleansing, genocide and apartheid. I’m definitely not against Jewish people … but it seems like indiscriminate bombing.”
On Tuesday, Israeli forces raided one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza’s north and bombarded the south with airstrikes that killed at least 28 Palestinians, and pressed ahead with bombardments with renewed backing from the United States, according to AP.
Jakkar Aimery, The Detroit News
Detroit News- Published 2:55 a.m. ET December 20, 2023
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2023/12/20/hundreds-turn-out-in-dearborn-for-interfaith-rally-to-call-for-end-to-siege-in-gaza/71978006007/
####