Two months after the start of the conflict, few pacifist voices can be heard in Israel. For the first time, around fifty people were able to demonstrate in Tel Aviv without being dispersed by the police.
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While the military operation carried out by the Israeli army to “destroy” Hamas in the Gaza Strip has already left more than 16,000 dead and nearly two million displaced on the Palestinian side, very few pacifist voices are able to be heard. heard in Israeli civil society for two months.
In a country traumatized by the attacks of October 7, the police and the population reject any pacifist expression. But on Tuesday evening, December 5, all the same, around fifty people demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, without being dispersed by the police, and that in itself is a first.
The demonstrators plan to return every week
The appeal circulated very quickly in the small network of left-wing university professors. No communication to the press, no declaration to the police and no slogans shouted to avoid getting into trouble. Previous attempts ended in police custody. “Part of the repression is that the police make up crazy accusations, like ‘supporting Hamas,’ just because we attend small gatherings like this and carry a sign.”explains Tobie, a researcher.
This time, the police stand at a distance and we hear a few supportive horns, which reassures the organizers, Anat and Yaelle. “There is hostility right now among Israeli Jews for anyone who is critical of what is happening. But I think many people understand that the goal of demolishing Hamas is not achievable. “ Moreover, the demonstrators intend to return every week until the end of the war in Gaza.
