40 Years Occupation! 40 Years Despair!
Hot off the Gush Shalom (The Peace Bloc) site, these are pictures of the Tel-Aviv protest march to mark the 40th anniversary of the Israel’s Occupation on Saturday June 9th.
“‘Peace Yes! Occupation No!’ was chanted from thousands of throats in Ibn Gvirol Street,” according to the report.
“Back to the 1967 Borders!”, “Enough of the Occupation, Yes to Israeli-Palestinian Peace!”, “Peace Negotiations Will Prevent War!” said the slogans that were carried at the head of each bloc of protesters.
The demonstrators assembled in Rabin Square and marched through the streets of Tel-Aviv to Museum Square, where they listened to speeches by former Knesset Member Naomi Hazan, the chairman of the Coordination Committee of the Arab Citizens, Shawki Hatib, the Palestinian co-founder of Combatants for Peace Bassam Armin and Nurit Peled-Elchanan, Laureate of the Saharov Human Rights and Freedom of Thought Prize of the European Parliament, the two latter sharing the pain of having lost a child to the occupation.
This was the first time that all peace movements demonstrated together. Activists of Gush Shalom were marching alongside activists of Peace Now, activists of Machsom Watch and the Women’s Coalition for Peace with Fighters for Peace and dozens of other peace groups. The red flags of Hadash flew next to the white flags of Gush Shalom and the national flags carried by Peace Now and Meretz. The long procession was divided into blocs, with each bloc headed by a car broadcasting the slogans.
Remainder may be read here:
Photos of the Gush Shalom contingent in the March:
Assembling in Rabin Square-girl with Gush Shalom flag
Protest march on the way
Loudspeaker car leading Gush Shalom section
Veteran activists
Activists heading Gush Shalom section
The famous rapper Sameh (“Saz”) Zakout
Listening (Uri Avnery)
