Leftist and rightist Israelis clash at Gaza flotilla protest in Tel Aviv
Smoke grenade hurled at left wing protesters from unknown source; demonstrators carry banners saying 'the government is drowning us all.'
By Chaim Levinson Tags: Israel news protest Gaza flotillaLeftist and rightist demonstrators clashed Saturday night in Tel Aviv as more than 6,000 Israelis gathered to protest the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship earlier this week, in which nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed.
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Leftist protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday, June 5, 2010. |
| Photo by: Nir Keidar |
The protest was originally planned by to mark the anniversary of the Six Day War which broke out 43 years ago today. Among the organizers were left wing parties Meretz, Hadash and Peace Now organization. The demonstrators carried banners saying "The government is drowning us all," "We must stride for peace," and "A right wing government = clear and immediate danger to state security."
As the demonstrators marched from the Rabin Square near the city's municipal building toward the Tel Aviv museum several hundred rightist demonstrators followed the procession. Upon their arrival at their final destination the spirits heated up between the two opposing groups, during which they two sides cursed and shouted at each other.
A smoke grenade was also hurled at the left wing demonstrators from an unknown source.
Police were deployed to keep the two sides apart. Clashes were also reported on the central Ibn Gevirol Street.
Among the leftist demonstrators, hundreds carried Israeli flags to establish that they were not demonstrating against Israel nor questioning the country's existence, but rather protesting the actions executed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government.
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Will somebody please explain to these propagandists that their Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, heads the Labour Party.
Will somebody please explain to these propagandists that their Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, heads the Labour Party.
not a clue, these people are cuckoo
hope you post my comment, thanks in advance: Zionists are not going to call these protesters as traitors? So since these protesters are Jews, so no one is going to call them anti-semetism for sure. But if they were not Jews, they will be called anti-semetic for sure.
I'd expect this from Neturei Karta......
how can they call for sanctions against israel? how can they be so short-sighted? cant they see that it doesnt matter at all which government israel has but that some people in middle east and around the world simply dont like israel as a jewish state, no matter what government israel has? haaretz author yoel marcus asked in his friday-column: where is the jewish brain? in view of these short-sighted demonstrators i ask myself so, too!
That the tragic results of the forceful takeover of the ships should have been anticipated, is clear. If you let a few commandos slide down ropes into a small ship loaded with 600 passengers, there would be two possibilities: 1. The one I anticipated, which is that the passengers surround the attackers and throw them overboard, or 2. The attackers pull out weapons and then all hell breaks loose. Unfortunately, the brainless Godzilla decided to take over the ships by whatever force was necessary. An alternative method should have been used from the very beginning of such siege-busting flotillas. (I am opposed to the siege, but once this is the policy, a wiser enforcement should be used.) IDF commandos could have disabled the motors or propellors of a few ships either in port or while moving at sea. Alternatively, Israel could have let the ships pass, then come at night and disable them in the Gaza shore. The result would have been that the 700 pilgrims would have been stuck in Gaza for weeks, and Israel could have allowed them out slowly, and after the payment of fines. This would have served as a discouragement for others to repeat the exercise. Unfortunately, the IDF has grown into a Godzilla, with brute force as its sole means.
Get ready, it's coming.