Thousands of Israelis protest the Gaza war in Tel-Aviv

From the website for the Communist Party of Israel:

Some 7,000 Israelis on Saturday evening protested the war in Gaza under the banner: “No more deaths – Israeli-Palestinian peace, now.” The protest took place in Rabin Square in central Tel Aviv. Slogans chanted by the protesters included “Stop the war,” “Bring the soldiers back home” and “Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies.”

And

Ben Kfir of the Parents’ Circle, whose daughter was killed in a Hamas suicide bombing in 2003, also spoke, refuting the government’s claim that there is no partner for peace among the Palestinians. The speakers criticized the government for its attitude toward peace negotiations, and for resorting to war as a default policy. Demonstrators called for an end to the occupation and the siege on Gaza, and lit candles to commemorate the victims.

More here.

Say what you want about the Communists.  A lot of the time they get it absolutely right.  It's also a testament to how far gone the Israeli public discourse on Palestine has become: apparently only about ten percent of Israel's population opposes the mass killing of women and children in Gaza, which makes the Communists one of the few groups with enough balls to get out in the streets and proclaim the truth, even in the face of Israeli-on-Israeli violence and extraordinarily harsh criticism.  

Ironically, this highlights one of the reasons I continue to love Israel.  They're very much like we are.  I am reminded of the overwhelming popularity here in the United States of our invasion of Iraq.  And I am reminded of the few brave Americans who were willing to stand against the herd and speak the truth about what an awful idea the war was going to be.  Iraq, needless to say, ended up being one of the biggest disasters in American history.  The peaceniks were right.  And the Israeli peaceniks are right, too: continually repaying Hamas' relatively low-scale terrorist attacks with wanton carnage and destruction of a population which, by and large, is innocent will do nothing but come back to bite Israel on the ass.

Anyway, go commies!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$