TEL AVIV (VINnews) — Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv Saturday evening to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to begin annexing parts of the West Bank next month. Police had initially sought to block the demonstration but after organizers promised that participants would wear masks and maintain social distancing, they relented and allowed the demonstration to take place, according to a Times of Israel report.
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The demonstration was organized by the left-wing Meretz party as well as the Hadash faction of the Joint Arab List, along with several other left-wing rights groups. Many of the protesters waved Israeli and Palestinian flags and some signs read “I can’t breathe since 1948” in a reference to George Floyd’s last words as well as Palestinian nationalistic aspirations.
MK Nitzan Horowitz, the head of Meretz, told the crowd that annexation would be a “war crime” and would cost Israel millions as the economy is already reeling due to the pandemic.
“We cannot replace an occupation of dozens of years with an apartheid that will last forever,” Horowitz shouted. “Yes to two states for two peoples, no to violence and bloodshed,” he continued. “No to annexation, yes to peace.”
“You have no mandate to approve this apartheid. You have no mandate to bury peace,” Horowitz yelled in a reference to the Netanyahu-Gantz coalition. The Meretz head claimed that Netanyahu was being pushed to carry out the controversial move by the “messianic” Trump administration.
Meretz MK Tamar Zangberg said that the agreement would “officially make Israel an apartheid state… [Enacting] sovereignty [in the West Bank] without granting citizenship is apartheid.”
Vermont senator and former Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders addressed the rally in a video message from the US.
“I’m extremely heartened to see so many of you, Arabs and Jews alike, standing up for peace, justice and democracy,” the self-described Democratic socialist said.
He added: “The plans to annex any parts of the West Bank must be stopped. The occupation must be ended and we must work together for a future of equality and dignity for all people in Israel and Palestine.”
Peace Now leader Shaked Morag even equated between the current unrest in the US over the death of George Floyd and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, telling demonstrators to “take a knee in memory of George Floyd. In memory of Iyad Halak. (an autistic Palestinian killed by Israeli police who thought he was carrying a gun.) In memory of all the victims of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Oh just annex the whole place and register everyone to vote.
Terrible scene. No social distancing. Bibi has blood on his hands for allowing this gathering to take place. Didn’t he hear what the Rabbonim in America have said?!
I am gonna say it. I could not care less about a dead retarded Palestinian nor a dead black reprobate felon drug fiend. Okay I said it. Both were accidents but they mean nothing except to those communist Marxist radicals using these to force their murderous communist agenda.
Diseased leftism knows no borders.
Jew leftie kooks are the worst.