[Peace] 10,000 Rally for Peace in Tel Aviv

[David Green]

With apologies for submitting this to the larger list.
In the midst of so much violence and turmoil, a
minority of "peaceniks" has held its ground, and is
now rebuilding a movement that recognizes that genuine
peace requires compromise, sacrifice, and justice. I
hope that people recognize that Israel is not only
about what you hear from the mainstream media.

David Green

>>From: Gila Svirsky <gsvirsky at netvision.net.il>
>>To: Coalition of Women for a Just Peace
<CWJP at yahoogroups.com>
>>Subject: [CWJP] Imagine All the People
>>Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 22:47:55 +0200
>>
>>10 February 2002
>>
>>Friends,
>>
>>We knew there would be a big turnout for the peace
demonstration last
>>night just from the deluge of pro-peace ads in
Ha'aretz the day before -
>>page after page of statements and petitions, all
critical of the
>>occupation.  Some excerpts:
>>
>>***"There is a choice!"  An expanded new list of 200
combat officers and
>>soldiers who refuse to serve in the army of
occupation.
>>***"There's a limit!"  Support for the new soldiers,
and the names of
>>others who have consistently refused to serve,
placed by Yesh Gvul.
>>***"We support the soldiers who refuse to serve the
occupation" - a
>>petition placed by civilian supporters.
>>***"Peres, you are a collaborator in war-crimes!"
placed by Gush Shalom.
>>***"Do not say 'we did not see, we did not know' -
the price of keeping
>>the territories" - placed by the Israel Committee
Against House
>>Demolitions.
>>***"A Recipe for National Suicide" - placed by a
private citizen.
>>
>>And a huge, blood-red ad, "The Occupation is Killing
Us All", signed by
>>the 28 organizations that came together to hold last
night's impressive
>>rally in Tel-Aviv (full list below).
>>
>>This was the largest pro-peace rally since this
Intifada began in
>>September 2000, with an estimated 10,000
participants - Jews and Arabs
>>from all over Israel filling the large Tel-Aviv
Museum plaza.  The mood is
>>clearly swinging in Israel, and the homemade signs
of people who had not
>>attended a demonstration for years reflected the new
thinking - "Stop
>>Sharon before he kills us all", "More conscientious
objectors!",
>>"Occupation itself is a war crime", and all
permutations of "Share
>>Jerusalem", "Dismantle Settlements", and "Bring our
soldiers home".
>>
>>By the time veteran peace activist Yehudit Harel
opened the ceremony, the
>>crowd was a mass of people amazed and buoyed by each
other's presence,
>>with a great deal of hugging by people glad to be
sharing the moment.  And
>>then Yehudit's opening words in fluent Hebrew and
Arabic set the tone for
>>the entire evening - we Israeli Jews and Arabs
together will no longer
>>abide the crimes that the Israeli government is
carrying out.  "There is
>>only one flag held aloft here today," said Yehudit,
"and it is the black
>>flag of pain, mourning, death, bereavement, and the
immorality of war
>>crimes that are being committed in our name."  At
her words, hundreds of
>>black flags were raised high by the crowd,
symbolizing the statement made
>>years ago by an Israeli court that if a military
order has "a black flag
>>of immorality" hanging over it, the order must be
refused.
>>
>>This was a rally in which the young men who refused
to serve in the army
>>of occupation were the heroes of the evening,
receiving ovation after
>>ovation at every mention.  "I once disagreed with
refusal to serve in the
>>army," said Uri Avnery to the crowd, "but today I
salute those who will
>>not serve.  Refusal is the beginning of the end of
the occupation."   Some
>>of these brave young men have been stripped of their
command, demoted, and
>>face court martial, but continue to answer to their
conscience.  "How can
>>we serve in an army that kills children?" asked
Yishai Rosen-Zvi, an
>>Orthodox tank corps sergeant in the reserves, "How
can we serve an army
>>that demolishes homes, does not allow the sick to
get medical attention,
>>seeks to humiliate an entire population, and reduces
them to hunger and
>>poverty?"
>>
>>Between speakers and sometimes during them, the
crowd broke into chanting
>>of familiar slogans: "Fuad, Fuad, Minister of
Defense, How many kids did
>>you kill today?"  "Occupation, No!  Peace, Yes!",
"Money for the poor, not
>>for settlers!"
>>
>>It was a rally in which the stage was shared by
Arabs and Jews, women and
>>men, Mizrahim and Ashkenazim, young and old,
religious and secular.
>>Distinguished elderly author Sammy Michael pointed
out the futility of the
>>ongoing occupation:  "Death is not a threat to
people who willingly give
>>their lives for a cause."  And Shulamit Aloni,
former government minister
>>and perennial conscience of Israel, called out her
message of hope, "All
>>of you here today are the harbingers of a mass
movement that already has
>>begun.  You will be the teachers of democracy to
this government.  You
>>will set an example of morality.  We shall clean out
the crimes of this
>>country and fill it with peace!"
>>
>>There were many moments that brought tears to my
eyes last night.  I will
>>tell you of two:  Famed singer Ahinoam Nini (known
as "Noa", I believe, to
>>her American fans) took the risk of alienating her
Israeli right-wing
>>fans, and sang to the crowd a Hebrew, Arabic, and
English version of
>>"Imagine" by the Beatles:  "You may say I'm a
dreamer, but I'm not the
>>only one; I hope someday you'll join us, and the
world will be as one."
>>
>>And the other was the transformation of a beloved
Zionist song "Ein li
>>eretz aheret".  Reciting this song in two languages,
Hebrew and Arabic,
>>suddenly infused it with new meaning:  "I have no
other country to go to.
>>And even if the land is burning under my feet, this
is my home."  For the
>>Arabs in the crowd, the song suddenly became theirs,
too, and for the
>>Jews, it meant a land we both love deeply.
>>
>>I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be
as one.
>>
>>Gila Svirsky
>>Jerusalem
>>
>>Sponsoring organizations:
>>Association of Arab University Students / Baladna /
BANKI / Bat Shalom /
>>Coalition of Women for a Just Peace / Druse
Initiative Committee / Du
>>Siach / Gush Shalom / HaCampus Lo Shotek, Tel-Aviv
University / Hadash
>>Youth / Israeli Committtee Against House Demolitions
/ Kol Aher BaGalil /
>>Kvisa Sh'hora: Lesbians and Gay Men Against the
Occupation / Left Forum,
>>Haifa University / MachsomWatch / Meretz Youth /
Monitoring Committee of
>>the Arab Population in Israel / NELED / Neve
Shalom/Wahat al-Salaam / New
>>Profile / Noga / TANDI / Ta'ayush: Arab-Jewish
Partnership / Tajamu Youth
>>/ WILPF / Women and Mothers for Peace (formerly Four
Mothers) / Women in
>>Black / Yesh Gvul
>>_______________________________________________
>>Coalition of Women for a Just Peace:
>>http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org


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