Some 2,000 members of leftist and peace organizations, among them Hadash and Communist Party of Israel activists, held a protest march against the occupation of Palestinian territories in Tel Aviv on Saturday.  The protesters carried signs which read “45 years of occupation, this stain cannot be wiped off” and “The people demand social justice and an end to the occupation and apartheid.” They chanted “End the occupation” and “We want peace, we must fight.”

MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) said to demonstrators: “We want to say that social justice is not possible in this country as long as millions of Palestinians in the occupied territories are oppressed and as long as inflated funds are being spent on settlements and security.” “Our aim is to remind the Israeli public that the state has been controlling millions of Palestinians against their will and through the use of force for two thirds of its existence,” added Gush Shalom spokesman Adam Keller. “All settlements, not just the Ulpana homes, are illegal.”