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Thousands Of Israelis Demonstrate Against Sharon's Government
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"The occupation is killing us," and "The occupation creates war crimes," read slogans in Arabic, English and Hebrew.
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OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, Feb. 9 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Thousands of left-wing Israelis gathered Saturday in Tel Aviv to protest against far-right Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Organizers of the demonstration from the left-wing Gush Shalom coalition of peace movements, estimated the crowd at 10,000 activists, many of whom were brought in by bus from Arab villages around the country, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"The Israeli public has been in shock because Sharon, his servants Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz, and ministers Shimon Peres and Binyamin Ben Eliezer, have brought us to despair -- from one grave to the next," Uri Avnery, leader of the Gush Shalom movement, told the crowd.
"Until now, the Israeli public has been keeping silent, but no more," he said, referring to Israeli military action during the 16-month Palestinian Al-Aqsa Intifada or uprising.
"Back to the 1967 borders," chanted protestors, referring to the Israeli borders before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war when Israel took the West Bank and Gaza Strip from Jordan and Egypt.
"The occupation is killing us," and "The occupation creates war crimes," said slogans in Arabic, English and Hebrew.
The protestors also called for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Palestinian territores and restart peace negotiations.
Members of a group of 52 reserve army officers and soldiers, who refused to serve in the occupied territories -- the first of such a group since the Intifada erupted, were present in the demonstration.
London based Al Hayat newspaper qouted one of the rally organizers, Orie Afnerie , as saying: “ the Israeli community is now awaking from a frightful nightmare.” He was referring to more than a year of Israeli aggression and the resistaning intifada.
“Be brave and continue [to refuse serving in th Occupied Territories], you are the Israeli conscious,” Afnerie told members of the 52 reserve army officers.
On January 25, a total of 52 reserve officers and soldiers said they would refuse to serve in the Palestinian territories so as not to participate in operations of "oppression". The movement published a further 50 signatures in the Israeli daily newspaper, Ha'aretz.
Israel’s army chief Shaul Mofaz said he ordered the heads of the army to negotiate with the more than 100 officers and try to understand the reason behind their decision instead of jailing them in the military prison, the Israeli daily newspaper, Ma’ariv, reported. "We take the petition in which officers and soldiers have called for insubordination very seriously," Mofaz said. "They will be summoned to perform other tasks."
A spokesman for the movement denied there was a political basis for their conscientious objection, adding that Mofaz was trying to dirty their campaign, AFP reported.
"We will continue to serve in the army when it involves defending the state of Israel, but not in the task of oppression and occupation of the Palestinians," said the reservists, mostly subalterns and from combat units, notably parachute, tank and elite infantry corps.
"The territories are not part of Israel and the Jewish settlements that have been established will eventually be dismantled ... we will not continue to fight for them," the soldiers said.
"We will also no longer fight beyond the 'Green Line' with the goal of oppressing, expelling, starving and humiliating an entire people," they said, speaking of the border that separates Israel from the West Bank.
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