For the third time in a week, I came to protest against the ongoing war in Gaza. This time, the turnout was massive: there were about 10,000 people that came to protest against the war in Gaza, that is going on.
Gaza War - Big Demostration Against It
The rally was bothered by group of “counter protesters” - right wing activists that didn’t like this demonstration. Luckily, the police was scared that this event would turn violent, and there were lots of policeman that kept the two sides seperated.
The war has quite strong support among the Israeli public. But when the public is asked about the ground operation - the Israeli public is divided is divided 50-50.
Unfortunately, the ground operation began this evening, exactly in the time of the protest (and the counter protest): Lots of troops and tanks entered the northern Gaza strip. It’s all over the news.
Tens of thousands of Israeli reserve soldiers will be drafted very very soon. For Israelis, this is much more scary than the conflict was until tonight. Here’s a short video to get a feeling of the demonstration:
10,000 Israeli Protesters Couldn’t Stop the Ground Operation in Gaza - Click here for the most popular videos
I believe that even a succsseful operation will leave casualties on our side, something that will turn around the Israeli public from support to unapproval of the Gaza war. Barak’s war games before the elections will not achieve his goal to become popular.
I know that you, my readers are tired of hearing of yet another protest, but apart from showing that there’s another opinion in Israel, going to protests and writing about in my blog are probably the most I can do to stop this useless bloodshed.
Big Rally Against the Gaza War
And I’ll keep going to protests, and I’ll keep on reporting about them.
And relating again to my readers, in the past few days I’ve received a huge amount of comments. I’m not used to it, and I can’t respond to all of them. I apologize. I was quoted in Ynet, and received lots of entries from Google that are related to the Gaza war. I can’t respond to all of them, and I’m glad that in some cases, the readers began a discourse amonsgt themselves.
More picture from the Big Anti Gaza War Demonstration.
Yohai
blaming barak for a pre-elections war act will not change the fact that a military response to hamas’s terrorism was bound to happen.
to that I say that even a broken watch shows the correct time twice a day. barak may not be the brightest leader, but I doubt hes that stupid. he won’t get my vote anyway.
the only real hope is that hamas will understand no help is on the way from Iran&Hizballa, that even arab countries have little simpathy towards the situation in gaza, and that their only chance to remain in power is to accept certain terms of truce that would probably be dictated by Israel.
I give it about a week and a half. after that - things can get even uglier than they already are.
[...] של בחירות ותוצאות ותכנון של שנים ועשרות שנים קדימה, והמיעוט הזה מבוטל ע”י הרוב כ”אוטופיסטים/הזויים/רשעים/טמבלים שחיים [...]
This is the first post I am responding to in regards, not to the war, but to the protests. Maybe I don’t really have the right or understanding to full conceptualize why Israelis are protesting the war when I am sitting at home in bed on a Sunday from the comforts of South Florida but I cannot for the life of me understand why there was been so much public outcry, particularly from the Tel Aviv area, regarding the invasion of Gaza. Yes, I understand innocent people will be killed and most people don’t want to have to be called up to fight, but do people really not understand why they are being called up? I mean would it have to take a kassam or mortar shell to destroy some precious coffee shop on Sheinkin, then the ones estroying homes and kindergardens in Sderot, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Beer Sheva in order to sway public opinion? Is it any coincidence that the only protests seem to be coming from the Tel Aviv area, which is its own little bubble anyway?
Marni -
There are cafes in Sderot. And there are anti-war activists in Sderot, too.
Both Yohay and I lived in Tel Aviv when there was an average of four suicide bombings per month - most of them in our neighbourhod. There were no tourists in Tel Aviv at that time - not from South Florida, and not from anywhere else either. Nor did Israelis from safe, comfortable moshavim and suburbs come to shop or eat in Tel Aviv. There were no “solidarity marches for Tel Aviv” amongst suburban yuppies.
The opposition to the war is based on the belief that it will only make things worse for Israelis and Gazans. The demonstration took place in Tel Aviv, but the participants came from all over the country.
Lisa
Lisa
just a small reminder - there were no demonstrations in the suburbs (or anywhere else, for that matter) against anti-terrorist actions.
oh, and I’m quite confident that most protestors are from tel aviv, and so are most radical left-wing activists. just a gut feeling, can’t say why.
last, I think it is obvious (well, at least if you choose to leave the matrix) that the suicide bombings are bound to return if the borders are open again.
“The opposition to the war is based on the belief that it will only make things worse for Israelis and Gazans. ”
I think the point of war is to look out for the long term goals rather than the short term ones. Yes it means casualties for both Gazans and Israelis, but the long term effect is to at least try to dismantle Hamas terrorist strongholds in the area and to prevent the continued rocketing of the areas that are accessible by mortar shells and kassams.
I wouldn’t compare this military incursion to Lebanon in 2006 so much as I would make a comparison to when Israel went into Jenin in 2004 to dismantle Jihadist strongholds. But I’m not really in a position to make conclusions about Israeli army strategy. But I do think that what Israel is doing now is necessary. Sderot has been under bombardment for years, and now more cities are coming under attack. In all honesty, seeing as how international condemnation of Hamas’s shelling from Gaza seems to have had no affect, what else is Israel supposed to do but go in and take care of the problem themselves?
Oops, I meant the incursion into Jenin was in 2002.
DC - Big demonstrations take place in Tel Aviv because that is where Rabin Square - the largest municipal gathering place in the country - is located. It is also in the center of the country, making it a natural gathering place for people from both north and south.
Your “confident” opinion is incorrect: demonstrators were bussed in from all over the country.
You can check these facts with the Israel police spokesman’s office.
Finally, tolerance for diversity of opinion is one of the hallmarks of a democratic society. If you truly care about Israel, then you should take pride in the fact that thousands were able to demonstrate freely and legally against the consensus.
Lisa
with all due respect, you haven’t addressed any of the points I indicated.
rabin square being the largest place to demonstrate is a rather lame excuse. I for one would expect demonstrations against war to take place where it counts - in the south, for that matter.
I’ll take your word about the busses, but I still think the majority of protestors came from tel aviv itself, or its surrounding suburbs. police spokesman cannot verify the geographic or demographic attribution of every protestor.
the point was, when suicide bombers act in tel aviv, you probably won’t here a protest against military actions to stop them.
the other subject is that demonstrations are usually organized by left-wing activists. now try to convince me these activists are not mainly from tel aviv.
by the way, when busses exploded in tel aviv, did you also protest against occuptaion, or did you hope someone would stop them before they act?
[...] can read English language Israeli bloggers’ reports about that demo, and view their photos, here, here, here and [...]
[...] Yohay E., at Things.co.il; [...]
[...] Yohay E., at Things.co.il; [...]
Our elected leaders pay little heed to demonstrations against their actions. There is an enormous resistance to this war, but it matters none. The truth is that in an indirect democracy like Israel, once elected, the politician does whatever he damn well pleases.
Protesting is important, but futile in an attempt to actually battle government policy. Such as in the way of the terminally slow, Israel will only come to its senses when it’s too late. The only virtue attributed to the contemporary dissenters of war is the ability to say “I told you so” in the aftermath.
Frankly, I rather just stay at home and mourn the death of reason.
[...] happening - http://yuditilany.blogspot.com/2009/01/over-50-thousand-palestinians-and-jews.html, http://things.co.il/965, [...]