>> CATHY: COMING UP IN THE NEXT HOUR, PAUL DOUGLAS HAS A WINTER WEATHER FORECAST FOR US.

"PIONEER PRESS" REPORTER FRED MELO IS HERE TO PREVIEW ST. PAUL CITY COUNCIL RACES.

PATTY WETTERLING SHARES HER STORY OF HOPE OUT OF UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY IN "DEAR JACOB," A MEMOIR PUBLISHED EARLIER THIS WEEK.

>> ERIC: BUT WE START TONIGHT WITH THE INTERNATIONAL STORY THAT CONTINUES TO REVERBERATE ACROSS THE U.S. AND HERE IN MINNESOTA, THE WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS, WHICH BEGAN NEARLY TWO WEEKS AGO WITH THE HAMAS TERROR ATTACK ON ISRAEL FOLLOWED BY ISRAEL'S DECLARATION OF WAR.

THOUSANDS ARE DEAD, INJURED, OR MISSING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER BETWEEN ISRAEL AND GAZA.

INTERNATIONAL AID HAS BEEN STALLED AT THE BORDER BETWEEN EGYPT AND GAZA.

HERE IN MINNESOTA, THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF AMERICAN MUSLIMS FOR PALESTINE AND CAIR MINNESOTA HAVE BEEN CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE AT RALLIES AND PROTESTS AT THE STATE CAPITOL AND CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES.

JOINING US, MARIAM EL-KHATIB, AN ADVISOR AT THE LOCAL BRANCH OF AMERICAN MUSLIMS FOR PALESTINE WHO HAS BEEN AT SEVERAL OF THE PROTESTS.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

I SUPPOSE THE CEASEFIRE WOULD BE JUST A FIRST STEP.

IS THAT KIND OF THE IDEA?

>> AT THIS POINT, IT'S THE BARE MINIMUM WE'RE ASKING FOR.

I MEAN, WE UST WANT TO STOP SEEING PEOPLE DIE.

WE WANT TO STOP SEEING IMAGES OF KIDS BEING PULLED FROM THE RUB ALE.

PARENTS BURYING THEIR OWN CHILDREN.

SO YES, RIGHT NOW OUR FOCUS, OUR FIRST FOCUS RIGHT NOW IS TO JUST CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE.

>> Cathy: WE SHOULD PROBABLY GIVE FOLKS SOME CONTEXT.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PALESTINIAN FAMILIES IN MINNESOTA.

IN FACT, I KNOW, THERE WAS THIS NEW NEWS THAT THERE WAS A FAMILY IN WOODBURY WHO'S HAD 30 MEMBER AS OF THEIR FAMILY KILLED IN GAZA.

>> EAH, FAMILY FRIEND ACTUALLY.

SO A FRIEND, SHE'S LOST 30 PEOPLE FROM ER FAMILY IN ONE ATTACK AGAINST THEIR FAMILY.

SO ALL OF HER SIBLINGS, ALL THEIR SPOUSES, ALL THEIR CHILDREN WERE KILLED YESTERDAY.

THE ONLY SURVIVING -- HER MOTHER, AND ONE NEPHEW HAS SURVIVED.

IT'S JUST BEEN ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING.

AT THIS POINT, EVERY PALESTINIAN KNOWS SOMEONE, HAS EITHER BEEN DIRECTLY IMPACTED OR KNOWS SOMEONE.

JUST LAST WEEK, MY NEIGHBOR ALSO LOST FIVE FAMILY MEMBERS.

I HAVE NEIGHBORS THAT HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THEIR FAMILY FOR A COUPLE DAYS.

I HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND WHO THEIR FAMILY WAS IN THE HOSPITAL THAT GOT ATTACKED.

SO AT THIS POINT, I MEAN, OUR GROUP CHATS, I'M IN A LOT OF GROUPS, SOCIAL GROUPS, WORK GROUPS AND.

AT THIS POINT.

E FEW HOURS, THERE'S AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW FAMILY THAT'S BEEN ATTACKED AND KILLED AND IT'S JUST EEN REALLY HEAVY TO BEAR THAT NEWS.

>> Eric: NO ROUP IS MONOLITHIC.

I WONDER IF THIS HAS UNIFIED PALESTINIANS.

>> IT'S UNIFIED, PALESTINIANS, ARABS, MUSLIMS, NON-MUSLIMS, CIZ EVERYONES.

JUST YESTERDAY THE THIRD OLDEST IN THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD WAS ATTACKED.

AND SO THIS IS NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, A PALESTINIAN, MUSLIM, ARAB ISSUE.

EVEN HERE LOCALLY, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH JEWISH GROUPS, JERCHISH GROUPS FOR PEACE.

SO AT THE PROTESTS, I THINK THERE'S MORE NON-PALESTINIANS THAN PALESTINIANS.

SO THE SUPPORT FOR THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE OUTCRY AT THE AGGRESSION THAT'S HAPPENING WHILE PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THE NEWS DEFINITELY TRANSCENDED, YOU KNOW, ALL BORDERS, ALL BOUNDARIES, ALL IDENTITIES AND I THINK IT'S AT THIS POINT IT'S -- YOU JUST HAVE TO BE HUMAN REALLY TO WANT TO SEE THE VIOLENCE END.

>> Cathy: THIS IS OBVIOUSLY VERY DIFFICULT TIME, AN EMOTIONAL TIME ON ALL SIDES, BUD I'M WONDERING, ESPECIALLY, DO YOU FEEL ISOLATED IN THIS TIME?

>> YOU KNOW, ONE THING WE'VE BEEN SAYING IS PALESTINIANS ARE BEING KILLED TWICE.

ONCE BY ISRAEL AND ANOTHER TIME IN THE MEDIA.

YOU KNOW, THE RHETORIC THAT'S COME OUT HAS BEEN, FOR ME, ACTUALLY PERSONALLY HARDIER THAN SOME OF THE IMAGES THAT WE'RE SEEING.

WHEN YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, MAINSTREAM MEDIA, WHEN YOU HAVE ELECTED OFFICIALS, WHEN YOU HAVE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES COMING OUT AND NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, NOT BEING VOCAL IN HOLDING ISRAEL ACCOUNTABLE, BUT ACTUALLY ENCOURAGING AND STANDING WITH THEM, IN THE VIOLENCE, IT'S JUST BEEN REALLY, REALLY HARD.

SO IN THAT SENSE, IT'S BEEN ISOLATING AS A PALESTINIAN.

YOU KNOW, ISRAEL DEFENSE MINISTER REFERRED TO PALESTINIANS AS HUMAN ANIMALS.

AND PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU TWEETED THAT THIS IS A BATTLE OF CHILDREN OF LIGHT AND CHILDREN OF DARKNESS, REFERRING TO PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AS CHILDREN OF DARKNESS.

SO THE LEVEL OF DEHUMANIZATION HAS BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO HANDLE AND ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING THINGS I THINK AND WE'VE SEEN IT TO A LEVEL THAT I THINK WE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.

>> Eric: YOU'VE PROTESTED AT CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES.

HAVE YOU GOTTEN SOME REACTION FROM MEMBERS OF THE MINNESOTA DELEGATION?

>> YES, SO WE'VE BEEN -- I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN MOBILIZING SINCE -- I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN -- WITH THE AMERICAN ESPONSE, WE'RE ALWAYS IN CONTACT WITH A LOT OF OUR CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES.

BUT SINCE THE EVENTS OF OCTOBER 7TH, WE'VE BEEN FLOODING THE OFFICES WITH PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS.

, YOU KNOW, DEMAND HEAG THAT THEY SPEAK UP.

DEMANDING THEY SIGN ONTO A CEASEFIRE.

AS OF NOW, I BELIEVE ONLY REPRESENTATIVE ILHAN AND REPRESENTATIVE MCCOLLUM HAVE SIGNED ONTO THE CEASEFIRE.

OTHER OFFICES WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH, THEY HAVE NOT SIGNED ON WITH.

JUST BE A HUMAN AND CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE SO THAT WE CAN STOP SEEING CHILDREN BE KILLED.

>> Cathy: 'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT.

WE HAD A PERSON FROM THE JEWISH COMMUNITY HERE LAST WEEK AND I ASKED HIM THIS QUESTION, DO YOU FEAR FOR YOUR SAFETY, AND THE ANSWER WAS YES.

GIVEN WHAT HAPPENED IN CHICAGO ON TO THAT LITTLE BOY, DO THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE FEAR FOR THEIR SAFETY IN THIS COUNTRY?

>> EVIDENCE Q.R.

CODE, I MEAN, IDENTIFICATION WITH HE RHETORIC THAT WE'RE HEARING, LIKE SIDE, WHEN PALESTINIANS ARE BEING REFERRED TO AS ANIMALS AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ENTIRE DESTRUCTION OF A PEOPLE.

THIS IS BEING CALLED ON BY THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND ESKTSDIVELY BEING SUPPORTED BY THE YOU'D GOVERNMENT, HOW DO PEOPLE SEE ME NOW.

IF THEY'RE WATCHING THE NEWS AND THIS IS HOW THEY'RE SEEING PALESTINIANS REPRESENTED AS MAN ALES AND, YOU KNOW, AS VIOLENT PEOPLE, LIKE WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE.

YOU NOW, THEIR PALESTINIAN NEIGHBOR OR COWORKER?

AND WHEN THIS RHETORIC FIRST BEGAN, PEOPLE STARTED COMPARING IT TO THE POST-9/11 ERA AND IT QUICKLY TURNED FROM SPECULATION TO REALITY WHEN THAT SIX-YEAR-OLD BOY WAS STABBED OVER 20 TIMES.

AND THE PERSON WHO STABBED HIM VERY EXPLICITLY SAID I DID IT BECAUSE I HATE HUSBAND LIMBS, AND HE HAD BEEN LISTENING TO THE NEWS.

I DON'T LIKE TO BE DRIVEN BY FEAR BUT IT'S A LEALT OF REALITY THAT NOW WE HAVE O UNAWARE OF