Amid police threats, hundreds attended Friday afternoon, Sept 20, the Partnership for Peace “Parade against war, for peace and life” alongside route 85 at the Western Galilee near the border with Lebanon, calling for a deal to end the war in Gaza, against a third war in Lebanon and occupation of the Palestinian territories, for a deal with Hamas for the return of hostages, as well as a lasting peace agreement with the Palestinians. Hadash and Communist Party of Israel leading members also participated in the anti-war demonstration close to Kfar Yasif.
The partnership is built on the basis of agreement between its partners on the need to call for the implementation of five principles: An immediate agreement to end the war, prisoners deal now – all for all, promoting a political solution that will lead to an inclusive and stable peace, stopping racist and political persecution and promotion of national and civil equality and an end to the neglect of workers’ rights and marginalized populations – who are the first to pay the price of the war.
Protest organized by the Peace Partnership at the Western Galilee calling for an end to the Gaza war and against a war in Lebanon, Sep 20, 2024 (Photo: Zo Haderech)
During an interview to Al-Jazeera on Friday, MK Ofer Cassif said “Now in Israel, there are those on the right – let’s call them what they are, fascists – who want a bloodbath, conquest and occupation. Opposing them are different forces who have been against the massacre in Gaza, calling for its ending and the release of the hostages. Between these two forces, the centre, as it were, vanishes”.
“I don’t think these terrorist attacks will change anything,” he added, explaining that he was using that term for the detonations in Lebanon as he would any explosion in a public space. “It’s very strange how they see the attacks here. People talk about the attacks in terms of Hezbollah’s command structure and the implications of this or that. Nobody in Israel seems to talk about the terror inflicted upon the people of Lebanon. I mean, can you imagine it?”
“Some will see them as too little, too late, and those on the left, like me, will continue our struggle against the danger of yet another war that will only bring more destruction, death and agony to the region,” Cassif said. “We’re where we started off, polarized,” he added.
