By Bill Zeeble, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-811545.mp3
Dallas, TX – Thousands of Muslims rallied on the grassy knoll at Dallas' Dealy Plaza to both pray and protest the Israeli bombings of Gaza. Israel calls its actions self defense, in response to Hamas rocket attacks.
Protesting Muslims say nearly 400 Palestinians in Gaza have died so far from this week's Israeli air attacks. Mustafa Carroll, head of the Council on American Islamic Relations, says it is time to stop the massacre.
Carroll: That's a disparaging use of force. The Palestinian people have no army, no F16s, no cluster bombs. To use those things on Palestinians is a human rights violation.
Carroll wants a UN peace force intervention, humanitarian aid and a return to peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis. A cease fire ended recently. Alan Greenspan, with the Dallas Jewish Community Relations council, also wants a revived peace process. But he says it is hard with Hamas in Gaza. He says the terrorist organization does not want peace, but Israel's destruction, and Hamas has been firing rockets into Israel for years. He says Israel held back, and is now targeting fighters.
Alan Greenspan: I hope my own government wouldn't be as restrained as Israel has been if there was a terror organization shooting rockets at my family.
Some protesters in Dealy Plaza called for the death of Israel, but the crowd would not repeat that chant.