Day 567 Of The War: Enough Already

Last week, I ended my blog post with the hope that a special demonstration would be held to protest the war and demand an end to the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza. But what happened last night was so much better.

The crowd that filled Habima Square was determined but respectful. I was deeply moved to see that one of the speakers—actually the first one—was an Israeli Palestinian from the movement Women Wage Peace. She emphasized the need for Jews and Arabs to work together toward shared goals, because, as she said, “Together, we are here to stay.”

In the past, I was frustrated with, what used to be, my movement, especially since we weren’t even allowed to mention the word “occupation.” Fortunately, those days are behind us, and even this most mainstream of movements now understands that the occupation must end—now.

But this member of the movement stood on stage, wearing the familiar blue scarf and white top of Women Wage Peace, and spoke freely. It was truly gratifying to hear speaker after speaker calling for cooperation between Arabs and Jews in order to bring back the hostages and end the war and the killing of civilians in Gaza.

I was happy to recognize a familiar face: Menashe, the uncle of Elkana Bohbot, who regularly stands at every demonstration with pictures of Elkana and signs demanding the hostages’ return. He was there at Habima Square as well. Others held posters of the hostages alongside photos of the children killed in Gaza—victims of this endless war.

Bashir, an Arab man from Rahat, told the crowd that his town also suffered on October 7. Some of his relatives were kidnapped to Gaza. A few were returned in hostage deals, while others were murdered, and their bodies are still there. He is a leader in the Standing Together organization, which unites Arabs and Jews, and also an activist at the Hostages’ Headquarters.

All the good and conscientious speakers and protesters who gathered last night in the Square came to call for an end to the killing of innocent people and to demand the immediate return of the hostages. One of the speakers said that the people of Israel are much better than its government. I smiled to myself—an easy truth to agree with. What I can say with certainty is that it was the kind of demonstration that we—Israeli Arabs and Jews—can truly be proud of. It was the right and moral thing to do at the close of Holocaust Memorial Day.

And now, we need to keep working to make real change happen.