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DENVER (KDVR) — As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues overseas, the Jewish and Palestinian communities in Colorado both say that, ultimately, they want peace.
Eran Hazary, associate director of the American Jewish Committee for the Mountain Region, said there’s been ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas for decades, but nothing like this.
“I don’t think anyone was expecting anything like this to happen,” Hazary said. “So many Jews in the span of a day being killed, it shocks your system and it harkens back to so many memories Jews have carried with them over the centuries.”
Hazary said he was heartbroken to hear about the violence that continues to impact innocent people.
“Israel does everything it can to limit causalities, but the challenges are immense, and that’s by design,” Hazary said. “Hamas wants to use human shields, and this is going to be an unimaginable pain for the people of Gaza. And as a Jew, it’s infuriating to witness what Israel is being forced to do to protect its citizens.”
‘We want peaceful resolutions for both people’
Reema Wahdan, director of the Colorado Palestine Club, said they don’t want to see loss of life on either side.
“We are deeply troubled by this ongoing campaign against the Palestinian people and troubled by the escalation of force without any peaceful negotiation, or peaceful prosperity that can be proposed for either the Palestinian or Israeli citizens in the area,” Wahdan said.
Wahdan said they hope international leaders can find a path toward peace.
“We want peaceful resolutions for both people, but importantly, to understand that the Palestinians have their rights and to squander their rights is unacceptable,” Wahdan said. “We’re really pleading for the international community to come up with proponents that can stand in the space for peaceful negotiations and prosperity for both the counterparts.”
Lots of local Jewish and Palestinian families have direct ties to the region and will be anxiously watching as the war develops in the coming days.
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