As students across the country continue to protest in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who’ve been killed or displaced by the Israeli government, a growing number of local ministers have now joined local movements.
More than a month ago, the Rev. Tony Lee, pastor of Community of Hope AME Church in Temple Hills, Maryland was invited to speak at the now shutdown encampment at George Washington University.
He told The Informer that “God is using the students to be prophetic for this season.”
“What we are witnessing all over the nation is a move of God to call this nation to be accountable, because we are complicit in a genocide,” said Lee. “God is using our students to call us back to our moral selves.”
The Rev George Gilbert Jr. said the student protests remind him of the movement that helped to end apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s.
“God is always on the side of the disenfranchised, and what we see is just apartheid taking place in Gaza, which is just like it was in South Africa,” Gilbert said, “[We] see children being starved, not receiving medical attention and homeless.”
The conflict in Gaza arose after Hamas, a terrorist group, killed 1,200 Israelis in a surprise attack on October 7, 2023. In response, Israel has killed roughly 33,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry, with two-thirds of the deaths being women and children, according to the Associated Press.
In addition to the thousands of lives lost and the dismantling of more than 221,000 housing units in Gaza, 26 hospitals and 12 universities have been destroyed or out of service. With a lack of electricity, clean water and sewage flowing through the streets every humanitarian organization that works in the Gaza area have declared that Israel is in violation of the rules of war. Having blocked humanitarian aid efforts, Israel leaves hundreds of thousands of people facing malnutrition, severe medical conditions, and death.
The Rev. Delonte Gholston, pastor of Peace Fellowship Baptist Church in Northeast, D.C. joined Pastor Lee at George Washington last month and expressed the importance of speaking out on the injustices in Gaza.
“We have to keep pressure on the government to stop sending money and weapons to Israel,” said Gholston, adding that many African American clergy have been reluctant to criticize Israel because of fears of being criticized as antisemitic.
“It is not being antisemitic to be pro-humanity,” he continued. “All of God’s children have a right to live. They are all blocking humanity.”
Imam Talib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad said the student protests are a natural human response to the devastating realities affecting Palestinian people.
“The students are responding to a natural, troubling, and deep calling from their souls for an end to the mounting death toll of innocent human lives, the devastation to the Palestinian property and land, and the catastrophe humanitarian crisis,” Shareef told The Informer. “Regardless of color, ethnicity, nationality, etc…, there is only the ‘human heart.”
He too emphasized that the protests aren’t about antisemitism.
“I don’t see the protest to be or to be driven by antisemitism, although it does exist and has to be addressed accordingly,” Shareef said to the Informer. “Nevertheless, the collective conscience, inherent soul, and sense of justice for our humanity has been assaulted and is disturbing the peace of human souls.”
Shareef said the crisis in Gaza has him extremely concerned.
“I’m scared, I’m tired, I’ve had enough.”
The leaders who select and support and ask for a cease fire I support and ask the United Nations to punish Usreal Israel by making them pay back and help rebuild the innocent lives lost and facilities hospitals schools and homes destroyed by their again so called smart bombs and savage soldiering since as the so called chosen people of Allah they went to far. This land since Israel acquired this land with the help of America and her tax dollars I want it split fifty fifty at least or now more for the Palestinians since Israel cannot make this huge mistake and get away with it as if nothing happened. Hamas and the Zionist must talk and I’ll be the referee or any Helper towards peaceful talks such as the global peace foundation states one God at and one world under peace ful Allah fear-ing persons and humanity. We must ban war! And learn to love each person as long as they donot take innocent lives trying to get revenge for one day of grief done by they say the leaders of Hamas or a person tired of Israel’s abuse and their wives and children and the old people fighting for survival for their legacy. They should and will be free!