Thousands of Israelis protested against Ariel Sharon's government and the occupation of Palestinian territory in Tel Aviv today. Organizers of the demonstration from the left-wing Gush Shalom coalition of peace movements, estimated the crowd at 10,000 activists.
Uri Avnery, leader of the Gush Shalom movement, told the crowd: "The Israeli public has been in shock because Sharon, his servants Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz, and ministers Shimon Peres and Binyamin Ben Eliezer, have brought us to despair - from one grave to the next."
"Until now, the Israeli public has been keeping silent, but no more," he said, referring to Israeli military action during the 16-month Palestinian uprising.
Protestors chanted, "back to the 1967 borders," referring to the Israeli borders before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war when Israel took the West Bank and Gaza Strip from Jordan and Egypt.
Slogans in Arabic, English and Hebrew said: "The occupation is killing us," and "The occupation creates war crimes."
Among those present were members of a group of 52 reserve army officers and soldiers who refused to serve in the occupied territories, the first of such a group since the Intifada erupted.
AFP