HARRISBURG, Pa. — Cries for a ceasefire in Palestine echoed throughout Harrisburg on Sunday as demonstrators rallied at the State Capitol building.
Hundreds of people gathered on the front steps, calling on state representatives to support an immediate ceasefire in Palestine. The rally was also an opportunity for different groups to mourn and pray for those killed in the conflict.
“This is a human issue, human rights, equality, and justice for everybody,” said Chad Collins, a pastor and member of Friends of Sabeel.
Laid on the capitol steps were small white bags, meant to represent the thousands of young children killed in the Israel-Hamas war. More than 2,000 bags were laid on capitol property, creating a visceral image for anyone passing by.
“You look at the body bags and you think ‘wow there’s a lot of destruction of life and infrastructure’ and things like that, but then you see the people, and we’re not alone in this, we’re not insane to think that a ceasefire is something we should be demanding,” said Nada Abuasi, a rally organizer.
The rally was meant to bring people from all walks of life together, including those of the Jewish faith, such as Rabbi Lonnie Kleinman.
“It’s so important for Jews to be here for folks to know that Jewish people are for Palestinian liberation, that there is a Judaism that aligns itself with solidarity and liberation for Palestinian people and for their freedom,” Kleinman said.
Organizer Suad Sadek describes the rally as a call to people’s humanity.
“This isn’t a war between religions, it is just about our humanity, you should never look at this amount of people being murdered and want to take a step back for any reason at all,” Sadek said.
Demonstrators later took to the streets to amplify demands for Senator Casey, Fetterman, and Governor Josh Shapiro to support ceasefire efforts.
FOX43 reached out to the offices of each representative for additional comment.
In a recent PennLive op-ed, Senator Casey wrote in part, "When Hamas invaded Israel and massacred 1,400 people, they started a painful war and now millions of innocent civilians are standing in the crosshairs. There is no simple solution to this, no one simple path forward, and we cannot pretend that there is. The United States can and must stand with Israel and its right to protect itself from terrorists while also protecting innocent civilian lives in Gaza.”
At the time of this article’s writing, the offices of Senator Fetterman and Governor Shapiro have yet to respond.