The Other Israel

briefing

The most impressive part of tonight's big demonstration of the Jewish Arab Coalition to End the Occupation in Tel-Aviv was undoubtedly the march.

To walk with many thousands through the streets of central Tel-Aviv chanting slogans in a powerful rhythm. It was raising our heads again after the weeks of the rolling war machine and the "blue and white" patriotic propaganda that not only thundered from TV and radio, but also penetrated the schools and filled the commercial billboards.

The message (to the bypasses as well as to ourselves): we Jews and Arabs, men and women, young and old, we will go on until the bloody madness stops. Signs spoke of "Occupation is terrorism - the refusers are the heroes" "The Crime in Jenin will not be forgotten" "Arafat is our partner." The two-flag signs of Gush Shalom - which the police in vain tried to banish - were very popular especially among a group of Arab youngsters who would have preferred to walk with Palestinian flags, but the organizers had decided to make it a "no flags" event - to avoid a competition whose flags would prevail. And the Kvisa Sh’hora gay and lesbian youngsters who went blindfolded and their hands connected through a rope into a long line - revoking the terrible TV pictures of Palestinians during the mass arrests.

The spirit continued after arrival on the Museum Square. The audience was extremely willing to clap whenever a speaker put determination and anger in a sentence. After a short opening by actress Salwa Nakara (moderator): Nurit Peled-Elhanan with her dramatic voice fulminating against the system which educates our children into becoming thugs; Hulud Badawi the charismatic woman student leader attacking the minister of education for attempting to gag "non-patriotic students and lecturers" ; author Salman Natur with his biting sarcasm ("that the soldiers killed and robbed we understand, but why did they have to destroy the computers"); reservist Idan Landau ("nowadays the most respectable place to be is in prison"); Rela Mazali who spoke about raising children to follow their conscience and not military dictates; Knesset Member Roman Bronfman - the last in the row - "it is not the peace camp which is confused; the confusion is in the center; it is the extremists on both sides who are to blame; stop terrorism, stop war, stop occupation." And the voice from the other side, from the Palestinians right now suffering from harsh military repression was there too: the voice of the physician and human rights activist Dr Mustapha Barghouti live on the phone was sent through the loudspeakers ("we appreciate what you are doing very much; let's together make an and to massacres and oppression") and drowned in applause.

Beate Zilversmidt