Archbishop speaks out on Israel-Hamas war -- and he has company

May 15—A group led by Archbishop of Santa Fe John Wester requested a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war Wednesday afternoon.

The release of hostages should be a priority for the "whole international community," Wester said during a news conference in front of the Domenici Federal Courthouse in Downtown Albuquerque.

"At the same time, the siege of Gaza has lasted more than seven months and according to the Palestinian authorities, it already has resulted in the death of more than 35,000 people, most of them innocent civilians," he said. "A humanitarian catastrophe has been unfolding before our eyes, the eyes of the world.

"It is for these reasons," Wester said, "that Pope Francis is quoted repeatedly for an end to the military action in the Holy Land."

Wester quoted the pope as saying: "I continue to follow the conflict in Israel and Palestine with much worry and pain. I renew my call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. There is so much suffering there."

Wester had company in calling for a cease-fire. Palestinian-American and Albuquerque educator Sandra Akkad reminded people of Tuesday's 76th anniversary of Israel becoming a state.

For Akkad, the day is a reminder of the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, which spurred what is called the Nakba, the Arabic word for catastrophe. It refers to the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from what is now Israel, according to The Associated Press.

"Today commemorates the worst tragedy in Palestinian history," she said.

Akkad said little did she know that Palestinians would be dealing with a second Nakba today.

Wester said he not only advocates for an "immediate cease-fire" but to press the federal government and president "to make it the centerpiece of our foreign policy in the Middle East at this pivotal moment."

Other speakers, including University of New Mexico Regents Law Professor Jennifer Moore, said it is important "to lessen" the war's impact on civilians.

The war is causing "disproportionate harm to citizens," she said.

"No matter how just your cause is, you cannot treat civilians as shields," Moore said. "You cannot target civilians and you cannot engage in reciprocal violations, so if the bad guys are breaking the law, you don't get to target civilians. If the good guys have a good cause, they don't get to target civilians."