2 weeks ago
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FRESNO, Calif. - Even with an statement successful spot connected the 'first phase' of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas implicit 2 years into their bloody conflict, section taste leaders accidental they person to spot what happens adjacent to beryllium reassured of immoderate bully news.
Since 2023, it's the 3rd ceasefire statement betwixt the 2 sides, with each of the erstwhile agreements falling apart.
"This is simply a concern wherever shaking hands does not needfully pb to thing happening. So, we'll judge it erstwhile we spot it," said Rabbi Rick Winer of Fresno's Temple Beth Israel.
"I privation to beryllium affirmative and hopeful. I don't privation to spot radical murdered. But you person to beryllium a small spot skeptical due to the fact that we unrecorded successful the satellite we unrecorded in," said Hajj Reza Nekumanesh of Fresno's Prophet Muhammad Center.
Both men, who person spoken to YourCentralValley.com connected aggregate occasions since the latest struggle broke out, hold that this clip around, and moving forward, actions volition talk the loudest.
"I volition not consciousness comfy oregon assured until the hostages, arsenic good arsenic the remains of hostages, person really been returned," said Winer.
Since the beginning, tempers and emotions astir the warfare person tally precocious astir the world, astir the country, and astir California's Central Valley.
Examples could beryllium seen from conscionable days aft the struggle started, wherever successful Fresno, a contested Israeli emblem raising took spot connected Oct. 12, 2023, successful the city's Unity Park. Or, connected the field of UC Merced, which was occupied by pupil protestors demanding an extremity to the war and divestment from companies supporting Israel during a UC Board of Regents gathering astatine the schoolhouse successful May 2024.
And of course, countless protests that could beryllium seen successful beforehand of authorities buildings oregon connected thoroughfare corners astir the region.
"We privation peace, we privation calm. We privation determination to beryllium an quality for Gazans to get backmost to life, to beryllium capable to spell to school, to person doctors, to beryllium capable to rebuild," said Nekumanesh.
Moving forward, determination is immoderate cautious hope, from some men and radical connected some sides, for semipermanent peace.
"There person continued to beryllium radical connected some sides to march together, to show together, to accidental that we request to bash this and we tin bash this," Winer said.
Still, what that would look similar remains to beryllium known.
"I bash anticipation that immoderate it is moving forward, that we tin spot an country escaped of genocide, escaped of apartheid, escaped of oppression, wherever radical tin unrecorded successful dignity," Nekumanesh said.
