The article below was originally published in the January 18, 2024, edition of the Israeli daily Ha’aretz. It reports on an important action that day in Israel’s capital, Tel Aviv, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

After more than 100 days of war, Israel’s incessant bombing and ground assault in Gaza have killed over 25,000 and injured almost 63,000 Palestinians. Food, water, shelter, and medical care for 2 million people are increasingly scarce, creating a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel unleashed this collective punishment of the population of Gaza in response to the October 7 appalling attack by Hamas that killed some 1,200 Israelis and took about 240 hostage.

The Israeli government launched this war with substantial domestic popular support. The war is coupled with extreme Zionist rhetoric, police and mob attacks on many of those who dare to question any aspect of Tel Aviv’s conduct of the war, and a crackdown on the democratic rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel that includes arbitrary firings and indiscriminate arrests.

Under these conditions, public protests involving Israeli Jews and Palestinians calling for a ceasefire, and an end to the war or Israel’s brutal military occupation of millions of Palestinians are rare. But they offer a much-needed glimpse of hope for the future.

For these reasons, World-Outlook is republishing the article that follows. The original can be found here.

By Linda Dayan

On Thursday night [January 18, 2024], some 30 Israeli civil society groups, led by Standing Together and Women Wage Peace, led a protest in Tel Aviv against the ongoing war in Gaza. According to organizers, citing the police, over 2,000 people took part in the protest.

The protest was initially scheduled for last week, but police did not give the organizers approval to hold it. Nadav Shofet, an activist from Standing Together, said public pressure was responsible for approval of the event.

The event’s invitation reads, “Before us, as people who live in Israel, we have two alternatives: either Israeli-Palestinian peace, the only thing that will bring peace, or perpetual war that guarantees one thing – many more years of war, suffering and killing.”

Protesters marched through the city, holding signs reading, “cease-fire now,” “only peace will bring security” and “peace from the river to the sea.” They chanted, “there will be no security here until there is peace,” “Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies,” “Not Ben-Gvir, not Hamas, we’re sick of extremists,” “end the occupation” in Arabic and calls of “Now!” which are ubiquitous at rallies to return the hostages.

Heli Mishael of Standing Together, addressed the crowd: “After 100 days of war, the hostages have not returned, innocent Palestinians are being killed, and we still don’t have security… there is another way. We know that when we start marching in the direction of peace, we know that many Israelis and Palestinians will join us.”

Police escorted the protesters with occasional confrontations, such as asking a protester to put away a sign depicting the resemblance of a Palestinian flag. Israel is currently deliberating a bill against the waving of flags of enemy authorities.

A resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, Neta Peleg, said, “I survived the horror, too many people didn’t. I am angry at the State of Israel who cheated us, abandoned us … It’s time to stand up and demand [a deal], so that there will be no more deaths. We need to go to the Knesset and demand they bring back the hostages while they’re still alive. To end the war and get rid of this government.”

Sondos Saleh, former MK and member of the Ta’al party, also criticized the Israeli government. Before October 7 she said she had been optimistic about “a chance to build a real, strong united left of Arabs and Jews.” Now, she said, “I turn to the Jews who ask, why haven’t the Gazans overthrown Hamas? I ask, how have Israelis, which have a much stronger society, not overthrown their government?”

Rola Daoud of Standing Together, asked, “how much blood must be spilled before we understand that this war is destroying us all?… until we understand that there won’t be peace on one side if it isn’t on the other, that our fates are interconnected?”

Yaakov Godot, whose son, Tom, was murdered in Kibbutz Kissufim said, “I decided despite my sorrow and terrible grief over Tom, I would take action.”

“We, all of us, must change this approach of ‘managing the conflict,’“ said Godot, “I call on everyone to stop living by the sword.”

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