‘It’s terrifying’: Halton residents feel the impact of the deadly clashes in Palestine and Israel
For a young Palestinian-Canadian couple who calls Milton home, raising awareness about the injustice in their homeland is too important of a cause to miss - even on their wedding day.
Still in their wedding attire, they joined more than 500 participants at a recent downtown Milton rally to protest the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Seeing all this going on overseas, we didn't feel comfortable just celebrating and not going and making our voices heard," said Ahmed, whose last name we agreed to withhold after he cited fears for his safety.
The devastation and mayhem - which also destroyed the single COVID-19 testing centre - had him worried for his relatives.
Sometimes we're unsure if they're going to survive the night with indiscriminate bombing going on. It's terrifying," the PhD student said. We live a safe life over here" but other Palestinians are not as fortunate as us."
The recent violence that has erupted in Palestinian territories and Israel is the latest in a decades-long conflict over who has rights and control of land, including East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.
As of May 21, Reuters reports that more than 240 Palestinians have been killed, including 66 children, with more than 1,900 wounded; and 12 people in Israel have been killed, with hundreds more injured.
Rabbi Stephen Wise, who leads the congregation at Shaarei-Beth El in Oakville, has family and friends living in border communities along the Gaza Strip who reported seeing rockets flown overhead" and hitting buildings nearby.
There's a bit of a trauma," the rabbi said, as more than 2,500 rockets fired by Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, singed towns and sent people scrambling to bomb shelters.
With protests erupting in Halton and across Canada, Rabbi Wise said he heard from students in Halton schools who have been bullied and harassed in social media for supporting Israel or displaying their Jewishness" - and he's working to address it along with community partners.
I find that very, very difficult to hear," he said, while urging everyone to discuss the issue rationally. We might not agree on everything, but (that) doesn't mean we can't speak about it and learn from each other and pray for peace."
According to Mira Sucharov, professor of political science at Carleton University in Ottawa, there has been a shift in public opinion with Palestine solidarity in Canada growing in ways that it hadn't been before.
In Toronto and Mississauga, thousands took part in pro-Palestine rallies in the past week.
Amid the growing concerns that the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts are stoking Islamophobia and anti-semitic racisms, she said there should be more public education to explain that Israel does not equal Jews" and that Hamas does not equal Palestinians."
The conversation should be more about how to create justice, making Canadians feel like it's less of a zero-sum game and not about which side they're on.
We need to all be behind justice and anti-oppression and think of creative ways to support creative solutions in Israel and Palestine that bring justice for everyone," she said.
Ahmed, who grew up in Canada and learned in the school system about colonialism and land-grabbing that plagued the country's past, points out that similar things and other atrocities are happening in Palestine, where people are losing their land everyday" and illegal settlements are being built."
On May 20, a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was announced.
Beyond wishing for peace and for the loss of lives to end on both sides, Ahmed said he wants to see a better quality of life for the people there.
I think it's fair to advocate for basic human rights," he said, describing that many Palestinians are living in open air prisons" and not granted the basic necessities of life.
As for his interrupted wedding celebration, Ahmed said there's always another day to spend the afternoon watching sunset."
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With ongoing violence in the Middle East and demonstrations being held in town and across the country, we wanted to examine how the conflict is impacting some local residents.