Saturday evening, at least 5000 Israeli and Arab residents of Israel marched from the Rabin Square to the Cinematheque plaza Tel Aviv against the war on Lebanon and Palestine and the Israeli "war crimes" in the two areas.

The protesters carried posters against the war and the Israeli illegal attacks against the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

The protesters were attacked by dozens of fundamental Jews who hurled stones and various objects at them in addition to fist fighting with the protesters in several cases.

Several extremist Jews chanted racist slogans against the Arabs and Palestinians calling for the death of Arabs and Palestinians, "a good Arab is a dead Arab", the extremists chanted.

 

Meanwhile, the protesters chanted slogans against the Israeli defense minister, Amir Peretz, and held him responsible for the death of children and civilians in Palestine and Lebanon, and demanded the Israeli government to resign.

They also waved Palestinian, Israeli and red flags and pictures of children killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Palestine.

The protest was organized by the Coalition Against War, the National Democratic Assembly, the Democratic Front, the Communist Party, the Israeli peace Bloc (Gush Shalom), the Refusenik movement, the Alternative Information Center and several other organizations.

Secretaries and spokespersons of several organizations and parties called for joint actions against the Israeli aggression and continuous military attacks against the Lebanese and Palestinian residents.

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They came from all over the country, Jews and Arabs, from the air-raid shelters of Haifa and Nazareth and the still safe neighborhoods of metropolitan Tel-Aviv.

The third demonstration against the war in Lebanon attracted much greater numbers than the first ones. While the first had 100 participants and the second reached already about 1000, this time (July 22) some 5000 took part.

"Olmert get out of Lebanon -- the war is a disaster!" the protesters shouted. "We shall neither die nor kill - in the service of the USA" "Peretz, Peretz beware - in The Hague they are waiting for you! "Olmert, Olmert resign - you are not wanted anymore" "All the cabinet ministers are war criminals" and more.

After marching from Rabin Square to Cinemateque Square, the protesters held a rally that filled the square and flowed over into the neighboring streets.

The first speaker was former minister and Israel-Prize laureate Shulamit Aloni, who condemned the war in the harshest terms. She was followed by former MK Issam Makhoul for Hadash, former MK Uri Avnery for Gush Shalom, Youth movements' representative Yael Leirer, Yishai Menuhin for "Yesh Gvul", Awad Abd-al-Fatah for Balad, and Abeer Kopti for the Haifa group "Women Against War". The rally was conducted by Huloud Badawi of Ta'ayush and Jana Knofowa of the "Women's Coalition for Peace".

All speakers demanded an immediate end to the war and the start of negotiations, before we get sucked into the Lebanese quagmire the same way as in last war.

Gush Shalom activists among the marchers. Arabic poster: "The Olmert-Peretz Government is Committing War Crimes!"

Some of the 5000 protesters at Cinemateque Square

Marching through the streets of central Tel-Aviv. "Stop Killing Civilians", "Exhanging Prisoners is Better than Digging Graves"

Veteran marchers

 
Leading the march, behind protective line

Uri Avnery addressing the thousands

Communist leader Issam Makhoul speeking

Abeer Kopti, from Haifa sectiob of "Women Against War"
Photo: Rachel Avnery

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