A demonstration of approximately 1000 people took place in Tel Aviv Saturday night, demanding the Israeli government to end the Occupation of Palestine, end the siege and sanctions imposed on the Palestinians, and begin immediate negotiations, in good faith and without conditions, for a viable Palestinian state, with the democratically elected leaders of the Palestinian People.
At the same time, in Ramallah, a demonstration was held calling for a stop to the sanctions against the PA government, for a just peace, and a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders. It was organized by a coalition of Parties and civil society organizations.
Speaking for many frustrated Israeli Leftists, one demonstrator said that the reason she had come to Tel Aviv from
The demo was organized by a large coalition of peace movements and political parties: The Coalition of Women for Peace, Gush Shalom, Taayush, Hadash, Balad, Banki, Yesh Gvul, Bat Shalom, AIC, ICAHD, The Campus is not silent, Coalition of Students TA University, Artists without Walls, Our Colors, The GLBT Youth Movement of "Yachad", and other groups.
As well as from Tel Aviv, people came from Haifa Jerusalem Acre, Beine, Karmiel, Nazareth, Afula, Megido, A wide spectrum of the diverse Israeli society were represented – Israeli Jews Palestinian Israelis, immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia and so on.
Banners and flags bore various slogans – "War is not my Language", "Stop the Starvation", "Women Say No to Occupation and War", "39 Years of Occupation: End the Occupation", "Israelis and Palestinians Against the Wall", "Occupation Will Kill Us All!", etc.
A lively program of speeches and performances took place. Among the speakers were Sholamit Aloni, Salman Natur, Yehuda Shenhav and Teri Boulata, a principal from
Among the artist performers were Tamer Nafer and his rap group, Dam, Zeev Tene, Artists Without Walls and the Raging Grandmothers.
