Israel Palestine Infos
WEBSITE REPORT / anniverary
“The Blockade is Terrorism!”
On the first day of the
Some 3000 demonstrators gathered in Tel-Aviv’s
The demonstration was accompanied by large police forces, including a helicopter
which from time to time lit up the area with a huge projector. However, there
were no incidents.
Apart from the Gush Shalom posters “The Blockade is Terrorism”, there were the
posters of the “Women’s Coalition” which said “Women cross borders – Freedom and
Justice for
Nurit Peled-Elchanan, a bereaved mother (and the daughter of the late general
and peace activist Matti Peled), said at the rally: “I wonder about the
astonishment voiced by the media at the violence in the schools, the clubs and
the street. Our children are just absorbing the message conveyed by parents,
elder brothers, the media and the war criminals in uniform who come to the
schools and make speeches about the heroism of the army in Gaza.”
Uri Avnery called upon President Obama, the European Union and the peoples of
the world: “Help us to end the cancerous occupation. For peace and
reconciliation between the
Eilat Maoz of the Women’s Coalition
said: “All around us in this city we see war criminals who have committed these
acts in
Special applause greeted Nasser Rawi, the father of one of the families that
were evicted from their homes in
Jerusalem’s Sheik Jarrach quarter, who called upon the government in pure Hebrew
“to stop the Judaization of Jerusalem and stop sending us the settler who beat
people up and drive them out of their homes.”
Other speakers were MK Hanin Zuabi (Balad): “Denial of flour and sugar is a
method of blackmail, but the Palestinian people is not broken”; Yael Ben-Yaphet
(The Mizrachi Rainbow): “Sderot was the excuse for war, but who now remembers
the poor in Sderot?”; Abir Kopti (Hadash): “I congratulate the British
government for marking products of settlements – this is part of what gives
hope.”
The
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Uri Avnery’s speech at the protest rally
First anniversary of
Tel Aviv,
“Cast Lead”
Was a terrible and cruel war.
It was also
A stupid and superfluous war.
If our government
Had agreed to talk with Hamas
After they won the elections –
There would have been no Qassams,
Gilad Shalit would have been home
Long ago,
Sderot and Jebaliya
Would be living in peace.
The aim of the war
Was to turn the life
Of the
Into hell –
So they would turn against Hamas.
Instead, the whole world
Is turning against us.
We must investigate
What has happened –
Not because of Goldstone,
But for our own sake,
For the sake of
For the values we believe in.
This terrible war
Has not ended. It is going on.
For
The blockade is war.
The blockade is terrorism.
The blockade is a crime.
From here the demand goes forth:
Lift the siege!
End the collective punishment
On the
End the captivity
Of Gilad Shalit
And Marwan Barghouti!
We have come here to declare:
Though others may give up.
We shall not despair!
We shall not tire!
We shall not capitulate!
We will continue the fight
For peace and reconciliation
For another
A country that is good to live in.
Israel is not only They,
Not the Netanyahus, the Libermans,
The settlers.
Israel is also Us,
Therefore, we too are responsible for its actsions,
Therefore it is our duty to change them.
This duty we shall not shirk.
We call upon President Obama,
Upon the European Union,
Upon the peoples of the world:
Help us
To end the cancerous occupation.
For peace and reconciliation
Between the
And the free State of