Large
Gush Shalom ad – published in Haaretz, December 30,
2008
CEASE FIRE NOW!
This war is inhuman,
superfluous and harmful. Nothing good for
The killing of hundreds
of Palestinians and the destruction of the infrastructure of life in the Gaza
Strip are abominable acts. Those who hope to reap electoral profits from them
are greatly mistaken.
A ground invasion will
cause even greater harm, destroy what is left in
If, after hard battles,
the Israeli army will succeed in conquering the ruins of Gaza, the result will
be, at most, to drive Hamas underground and to
increase their influence both in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank.
The attack, which has
already deepened the hatred, will
AROUSE the whole
civilized world against us,
RAISE all over the region
a new generation that will hate the State of Israel even more,
INCREASE the impact of Hamas,
UNDERMINE even more the
status of peace-seeking Palestinians,
PREVENT Palestinian
unity, without which there can be no peace.
On behalf of thousands of
Israelis who have demonstrated in the streets of Tel-Aviv within hours after
the start of the war, we demand:
-
To
stop at once the attack on
-
To
propose - and to maintain - a cease-fire that will include the end off all
violent actions by both sides, a real opening of the border crossings and the
termination of the blockade against the population of the Gaza Strip.
-
To
start a dialogue with Hamas. Hamas
is an integral part of Palestinian society and the Palestinian political
system. Without their participation, all negotiations and agreements are
meaningless.
Gush Shalom