On Saturday night, a demonstration by the Peace Coalition is due to take place in Rabin Square, under the banner "Out of the territories for Israel's sake." The organizers, who have been making preparations for the gathering for many weeks, expect a large number of participants.

This is the first time in four years that the moderate camp has pro-actively returned to the great square for a political demonstration (the previous celebration for the election of Barak in 1999 was spontaneous, the memorial gatherings for Rabin lost all ideas a long time ago.) 24 years ago, Menachem Begin admitted that the voices that came out of the huge Peace Now demonstration strengthened his spirit for the negotiations at Camp David.

Ariel Sharon - whose promise to bring peace and security has once again been proven false with the terrorist attacks in Rishon Le'Tsion and Megiddo - is no Begin, and he has no credible diplomatic plan. But the planned demonstration can serve as symbolic starting point for the re-political awakening of the Israeli left and the beginning of preparation for meaningful opposition.

The failure of the second Camp David, together with the terror of suicide bombers, has created embarrassment and confusion in the peace camp; and the Labor Party's participation in the Sharon government totally paralyzed most of them. It's impossible to exaggerate the seriousness of the political help and ideological legitimacy that Peres and Ben Eliezer have given to Sharon. But it seems as if the time has come to stop urging them to leave the coalition; events of the last year have denied them the right and the ability to serve as an opposition.

The moderate camp has no choice but to say goodbye, finally, from its political world picture that we have got used to in the last few decades, to give up on the Labor Party and to prepare an alternative to the current administration, whose basis would be a call to withdraw from the territories and to strive towards a comprehensive solution along the lines of the Saudi initiative.

Overground and underground, many civil activities are bubbling away involving a not insignificant public that is anxious, and is rising up against the wave of aggression and nationalism. The only thing missing is someone to unify these forces under one umbrella.

A series of potential leaders - starting with Dan Meridor, continuing with Ami Ayalon and including Yossi Beilin - continue to hesitate to take responsibility, to ignore their conscience, and to leave the country in the hands of the forces of darkness. For more than a year, Ariel Sharon and Shaul Mofaz have been leading the State of Israel, systematically and with determination - and virtually without opposition - to strategic collapse, moral crisis and diplomatic isolation.

In light of the scale and strength of the misdeeds being done on their behalf, it's not out of the questions to assume that, in the future, the international community might settle their scores with them. History will judge their stupidity. But it won't make do just with them - nor with their helpers from the Labor Party: the finger of accusation will also be pointed at those who stood by and watched the destruction of the third sovereignity.