Anti-government protests escalate in Israel
Standing Together’s National Field Organiser Uri Weltmann reports on recent protests in Israel, including a mass anti-government mobilisation in Tel Aviv, and Standing Together’s anti-war protest in the Arab-Palestinian city of Shefa-‘Amr.
30 March 2024
An important new development tonight, in the struggle of the families of the hostages, who demand another hostage deal. In a mass demonstration held tonight in Tel Aviv, they’ve openly called, for the first time, for the removal of Netanyahu from power, stating that he is an obstacle on the way to sign another hostages deal, like the one in November.
Standing Together activists have been marching tonight in cities across Israel – Jerusalem, Haifa, Beer Sheva, Kfar Sava, Tel Aviv – joining the nationally organised anti-government protests that call for early elections and for a diplomatic agreement. We intervened in these protests to raise our voice in support of a ceasefire agreement, that would allow the return of the hostages alive to their families and stop the killing of innocents in Gaza:
Tomorrow (Sunday 31 March), the anti-government protest movement calls on the public to come to the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) for a four-day encampment outside of the building, calling for early elections and a hostage deal.
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Yesterday (29 March) we marched in Shefamer, an Arab city in the northern part of Israel. Hundreds of Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel attended this march, held under the slogan “Only Peace Will Bring Security”, organised jointly by Standing Together and the movement “Women Wage Peace”.
In a rally at the end of the march, speeches were made by Member of Knesset Ayman Odeh (Joint List), former Member of Knesset Mossi Raz (Meretz), the peace activist Maoz Inon (whose parents were murdered by Hamas on 7 October), Noam Dan (whose family members are held hostage in Gaza by Hamas), Iyam Tannous (Women Wage Peace) and Sondos Anabtawi (Standing Together). The Deputy Mayor of Shefamer also addressed the crowd, thanking the many participants who came from across the Galilee.
Currently, leaders of Standing Together are in the US and Canada as part of a speaking tour, in which we engage with crowds in various cities, sharing our experience and insights from the struggle towards ending the war and achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace, and how we are doing so through bringing Jews and Palestinians together, from within Israeli society, around our shared mutual interests.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), an important trade union representing 1.7 million teachers and educators, hosted a series of events with Alon-Lee Green and Rula Daood, our two National Co-Directors. They were interviewed, alongside Randi Weingarten, AFT President, by Reverend Al Sharpton, on his MSNBC program:
They were also interviewed on WNYC radio, and Sally Abed, a leader of Standing Together, and Alon-Lee, were interviewed on MSNBC:
Itamar Avneri and Rula Daood were interviewed in CBC radio about the work we are doing: