Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Israeli Left Emerges From Coma Amid Atrocities

By Mel Frykberg

"SHEIKH JARRAH, Occupied East Jerusalem, Mar 9, 2010 (IPS) - Amid the wave of violence that swept through the occupied Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, over the last few days, there are signs that the Israeli left may be emerging from its collective coma.
On Saturday night over 3,000 Palestinian, Israeli and foreign peace activists, waving Palestinian flags and shouting "Free Sheikh Jarrah", gathered in the East Jerusalem suburb in support of Palestinians threatened with home demolitions and evictions.

Progressive members of the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, called for the removal of illegal Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem and for the rights of Palestinian residents to be respected.

The presence of hundreds of Israeli security forces kept the protestors separated from a counter-gathering of dozens of right-wing Israeli settlers who support Israel’s Judaisation of East Jerusalem.

The Sheikh Jarrah protest was the largest gathering to date and represented a victory of sorts for the Palestinians and their Israeli and international supporters......"

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