Chants of “free Palestine” and other slogans rang through the streets of Harrisburg Sunday as hundreds of pro-Palestine supporters gathered on the steps of the state Capitol before marching to the governor’s residence.
Their goal was clear: a permanent ceasefire in Palestine.
Protestors such as Gazan-American Karim Alshurafa called for peace in the region and an end to the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
“The path forward would mean life between Israelis and Palestinians to be giving humanity and dignity to all individuals,” he said.
Alshurafa said more than 21 members of his family have been killed since the Oct. 7 attacks.
Hamas raided Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages. Israel then launched an air and ground war against Hamas, in which thousands of Palestinians, mostly civilians, and more than 100 Israeli soldiers have been killed.
Israel has pledged to keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, dismantles its military capabilities and returns all of the hostages taken by militants during Hamas' surprise attack. The war has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians and driven nearly 85% of the territory's 2.3 million people from their homes.
According to Alshurafa, the killings are not a solution but seek only to radicalize members from both Israel and Palestine further.
Several groups, such as the Philadelphia Palestine Coalition, bused in demonstrators from across the state.
Nada Abuasi is a member of the group. She said its members have faced opposition from Gov. Josh Shapiro and others.
“We’re consistently painted as either antisemitic or anti-life or whatever other excuse that they come up with,” she said.
After the 1.5-mile march in pouring rain, the protest stopped outside the governor’s residence. Marchers chanted, “Josh Shapiro you can’t hide, you signed off on genocide.”
Shapiro was in Philadelphia at a rally against antisemitism.
Joining the protestors were members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which describes itself as a progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization. Rabbi Lonnie Kleinman of Philadelphia addressed the group, saying Judaism is too often conflated with Zionism.
“I really want the Jewish world, the Jewish community, to kind of focus on fighting antisemitism, which is not anti-Zionism,” she said.
Kleinman said she was fired from a job in a Jewish communal role for speaking against Zionism.
Pastor Chad Collins of Valley View Church in Garfield said he is a member of the Pittsburgh Palestine Coalition and Friends of Sabeel, which describes itself as a Christian organization seeking justice and peace in the Holy Land through education, advocacy, and nonviolent action.
“When we are true to our faiths, we care about every person,” he said. “Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad — they teach us and others, our mothers in faith teach us this, our father’s faith, every person we see, we still love, love as you love yourself.”
Upon returning to the Capitol, Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour closed out the event by calling on protestors and supporters of Palestine to not work Monday as part of a global strike for Palestine.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
