2,000 Israelis hold anti-war demo in Tel Aviv

[bemildred]

TEL AVIV - Around 2,000 people marched in Israel's commercial capital of Tel Aviv on Sunday to demand an end to the punishing offensive against Lebanon that has left some 150 dead, organisers said.

"Yes to a prisoner exchange," chanted the demonstrators, referring to the key demand of Lebanese Hezbollah militants who snatched two Israeli soliders in a cross-border raid Wednesday, unleashing the Israeli offensive.

"Yes to peace," "Our children want to live," cried the mixed crowd of Jewish and Arab demonstrators.

The rally, organised by half a dozen Israeli pacifist groups, lasted around two hours before being dispersed by police.

Turkish Press

And this one:

Israeli forces arrest peace activists in Tel Aviv - Radio

RAMALLAH, July 16 (KUNA) -- The Israeli army arrested Sunday several peace activists who were protesting against the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, said Radio Israel.

The protesters roamed the streets of Tel Aviv and held banners and signs which condemn the Israeli attacks.

"Stop the Israeli aggression" and "Yes for negotiation No to war," as well as "Children want peace" read the signs carried by the peace activists.

According to the Radio, the army forces arrested 10 activists who went into the streets and to a nearby movie theaters to protest against Israel. (end) ng.

KUNA

[Poll_Blind]

1. As I said in another thread, the Left in Israel is under the kind of...

...attack that we fear in our worst nightmares as Progressives/Liberals in the United States.

PB

[Tarc]

2. A welcome sign

that there's still some sane people left in Israel these days.

[AnOhioan]

3. There were always sane folks in Israel....

It is Olmert and the gov't that are acting like idiots.

[Bjornsdotter]

6. It usually is the government

....and not the people who act like idiots...and that applies to every country.

Cheers

[bemildred]

7. The primary idiocy of the people is unthinking support of the government.

Which is unfortunately far too prevalent.

[Poll_Blind]

4. Oh there's more than you think, certainly more than you hear about.

  While world Jewry is astoundingly-diverse the extreme persecution they have been the victims of for thousands of years has inflected the culture(s) with what I believe is a palpable overtone of acceptance and sympathy for others. While this always exists in any culture, as empathy and humanity are less cultural than products of a caring human heart, I believe Jewish culture is likely to contain a higher level of consciousness on the matter given their harassment (to say the least) at the hands of other civilizations. They are not the only group who may have this heightened sensitivity, but my scope is narrowed appropriately in this context.

  However, the elements which are fighting for control of their cultural "identity" have taken another tack, come to another conclusion, based on the same data. And that is the conservative, violent, racist Revisionist Zionism that dominates (sometimes at Torah-point) the Israeli body politic today. Reference Rabbi Oviada Yosef for a better understanding of that last sentence.

  The Israeli media machine in the United States, piggy-backing on the conservative control of the media both in the United States and Israel is almost silent on this large number of Liberal Jews. In the United States, with the media we are exposed to, it is made to seem that all Jews in Israel and many in the Diaspora march in lock-step in the same way that domination of the U.S. media tends to portray more support for Bush than their actually is.

PB

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Agreed

my husband had a Jewish friend in high school who dreamed of going to Israel and working on a kibbutz. She was denied entry because of her peace activities against the Viet Nam War.

[katinmn]

5. K&N

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. There are peace groups in Israel

They have always been there. Some have tried to create join ventures between Jews and Palestinians. Sadly, they don't seem to get much support from either side.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pelsar]

11. the israeli left....

doesnt fit the same "cutout" as one will find in europe or in the states....the 500 who were protesting against the war (500 not 2,000) are the far left, anarchists etc. The more moderate left in israel, by far is not protesting against the war.....those two kidnapped reserve soldiers in lebanon could have been any one of us....

Not only do we want them back, we want the whole concept of a border where anytime we can and have been be attacked from stopped.....thats the general position of the lsraeli left today from an inpromptu poll.

the suicide bombers decimated the idealistic israeli left.....whats left is more pragmatic

[Violet_Crumble]

13. But the soldiers seem to have been forgotten by the govt...

I just saw an interview with an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman and he was very clear in saying that Israel is doing what it's doing in order to bring down Hezbollah, and he didn't say a word about the soldiers. Which is sad imo coz I think the entire focus should have been on getting the soldiers back and then later attempting to bring down Hezbollah....

[pelsar]

14. its more than the soldiers....

and the impression is that they were wounded during that attack and possible already dead (as what happend during the last time hizballas took some soldiers...)

More so we've had Ron Arad missing for over 20 years (taken alive) and no word...

the focus is more on not letting it happen again...

[Englander]

12. More than 500 protest in TA against IDF raids in Lebanon, Gaza

By Tamara Traubman and Ruth Sinai-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondents

More than 500 left-wing activists gathered in central Tel Aviv on Sunday to protest the escalating violence in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces' continued offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Police forces blocked the protesters when they arrived at the site of the demonstration, and detained three people for questioning.

The protesters called the IDF's operations an unnecessary war, and demanded that the government hold negotiations on a prisoner exchange.

"We have learned from history that military solutions don't bring anything other than death and destruction," said Abir Kobti, an activist in the Coalition of Women for Peace. "We are calling on the government to regain its composure, come down from the tree, and solve these problems with negotiations to save us from more deaths on both sides," she said.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/739042.html

Website;

http://coalitionofwomen.org/home/english

[omenapoint]

15. What is wrong with these people?

Would they rather surrender? I don't get their point of view at all.

[Fozzledick]

16. A thought on "moral equivalence"

If a group of Palestinian Arabs tried to hold a similar anti-war demonstration in Gaza, would Hamas and the PLO beat them to death, or would they shoot them first and then beat them to death?

[cool user name]

17. Huh?

There have been numerous demonstrations with no threat to their lives.

Not sure why you come to that conclusion.

[Fozzledick]

18. Say what?

Demonstrations in Arab-occupied Gaza AGAINST attacking Israel? I think not.

[cool user name]

19. Numerous peace demonstrations

In Gaza and the West Bank.

No threats from the PLO or Hamas.

[bemildred]

20. And often done jointly with Israelis. nt

[DemFromMem]

22. How many protests against Hamas?

How many protests against Hizbollah? Zip. Nada. Zero.

[bemildred]

24. That is a false analogy.

The israelis are not protesting against Israel, they are protesting for peace and coexistence.

[DemFromMem]

26. Wrong.

They are protesting the actions of their government. That doesn't happen on the other side much and you can spin as much as you like.

[bemildred]

31. Reduced to baseless assertions are we? nt

[bemildred]

25. Also, you asked for anti-war demonstrations.

Since Palestinians suffer a good deal from the war, they would very much like to see it end.

[ProgressiveCritic]

33. There have been protests by supporters of Fatah.

But it's not usually in the American news.

Google "Fatah protests..."

FYI, there are multi-parties in Palestine, but all of them are united in their hatred of occupation.

But really, what is your real point? You think 500 Israelis marching constitutes any meaningful dissension? Does that demonstrate some moral superiority? Do you think because a few Israelis wring their hands over the bombing of civilians -- including women and children -- that actually means something?

As Pelsar so eloquently points out, most of the Left in Israel completely support the invasion of Lebanon and Gaza.

Clearly, "left" does not always mean "progressive."

[cool user name]

35. If you really want to educate yourself,

Then look at the Palestinian Initiative which protest both Fatah and Hamas.

But you'd rather draw false conclusions.

[pelsar]

29. no general arab protests in gaza or the westbank...

against the policies of their own govt...i've never heard of one. At best some gunman take over a building to protest something or another..but nothing like a group of people with signs saying "down with govt policy A" in the middle of ramalla square.

now why is that?

[cool user name]

36. Because you never hear of something ...

... doesn't mean it doesn't occur.

Educate yourself.

Palestinian Initiative

[DemFromMem]

21. Is this a joke?

The Kuwait News Agency? I guess if you are truly desperate to find evidence that the very free nation of Israel doesn't allow for free speech, you take what you can find. I donate to Peace Now and have family in the Israeli left and am very comfortable telling DU readers that don't know the story that this post is baloney. How many gay pride parades have taken place lately in Kuwait?

[bemildred]

23. KUNA is actually rather good, as news sources go.

[DemFromMem]

27. I wouldn't expect you to think anything less

You're happy to quote Ha'aretz and the Israeli media when it suits you (i.e. when they criticize the Israeli government - something they frequently do because Israel has a genuinely free press). If you want to see the truth, go to http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/739042.html. Only 500 people protested and three people were QUESTIONED (as opposed to arrested). But I suppose these facts aren't sensational enough for the Israel haters on this site.

[Scurrilous]

28. That link has already been posted...

...upthread by one of the Israel haters:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=135797&mesg_id=136105

[bemildred]

30. I posted Olmert's speech without comment.

You just want things your own way all the time. Your mind is closed.

[bemildred]

32. Come, come, I am an "Israeli apologist".

And a fierce opponent of Palestinian rights. I've been told so here a number of times now, so I don't see how it could be wrong.
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[pelsar]

34. 4 mothers....

for those of you who know the history, the 4 mothers were 4 israeli women who lost husbands/sons in the first lebanese war and started a protest...which eventually led to public pressure and israel pulling out of lebanon.

one of the mothers was interviewed on israeli TV this afternoon......her attitude for this war is very much in tune with over 80% of the israelis..which is to continue until Hizballa has been pushed away from the fence and the lebanese army can come down and protect their own border. No one in israel believes the IDF has any plans on staying in S.lebanon....again.

as she said: shes a leftest, not the "knee jerk kind, but a pragmatic one