Jerusalem Women in Black held a highly successful mass vigil in Hagar Square (Paris Square) on Friday from 1:00 – 2:00 PM to mark the 45th year of occupation. The Square, near the Prime Minister’s house, was packed with well over 110 demonstrators. The clear demand for an end to the occupation resonated with many individual women, with different groups and organizations in expressing desire for unity of action. The central call for the vigil declared: “There will be No Peace or Democracy in Israel without Ending the Occupation.”
According to a Women in Black activist: “The vigil was a stark reminder of the ongoing determination of those in Israel who recognize the fact that the occupation is a mortal danger, first and foremost to the people of Israel.” Another Women in Black vigil was held in Tel-Aviv, on Friday.
90 years old Aviva Moler takes part in a protest of “Women in Black” group marking 45 years of Israeli occupation near the Prime Ministers’ house, Jerusalem, June 8, 2012 (Photo: Activestills)
Responding to the serious violations of human rights by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian occupied territories, the women held a vigil every Friday in central Jerusalem, wearing black clothing in mourning for all victims of the conflict. The initiative soon spread to various other locations in Israel, with women standing weekly in main squares of cities or at junctions on inter-city highways. At the peak of the Intifada there were thirty vigils in different locations throughout the country. The number dwindled after the Oslo Agreement in 1993, when it seemed that peace with the Palestinians was at hand, and picked up again when violent events and continuing occupation proved that hope to have been premature.
