The demonstration calling for stopping the war on Gaza in Shafa Amr was attended by Arabs and Jews (social networking sites)
The Israeli authorities allowed a demonstration calling for an end to the war on Gaza to take place in the city of Shafa Amr in the Galilee, inside the Green Line, after preventing for many weeks the organization of any activities in solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip.
About 150 people - including Jews from movements calling for peace - participated in the demonstration, which took place under the slogan “Peace alone brings security,” after its organizers obtained a permit from the Israeli police.
The demonstrators chanted "Peace, freedom, social justice" and "Freedom, freedom for proud Palestine."
Doctor Shahad Bishara said that during the demonstration she was able to express her solidarity with Gaza, noting that this was not possible in the recent period.
Bishara added, "Since October 7, the Palestinian community in Israel has been subjected to very severe repression by the authorities, and we have not been able to express our solidarity with the residents of Gaza. We have recently made a lot of efforts to obtain a permit from the police to organize such demonstrations."
Last week, hundreds demonstrated in the Galilee town of Majd al-Krum at the initiative of an Arab organization to demand an end to the war.
Last November, demonstrators backed off from organizing a march inside the Green Line due to lack of police approval, a decision supported by the Israeli judiciary.
At that time, Israeli police chief Kobi Shabtai threatened to send him there to anyone who demonstrated and showed sympathy for Gaza.
In the Shefa Amr demonstration: The message we want to say is that it is time to stop this genocidal war on the Palestinian people in Gaza, and that without stopping the war, nothing can be advanced in the future, as every policy of starvation has proven not only to fail, but also brings more insecurity to the region, and so on. The Jewish people in Israel. pic.twitter.com/sBBg9xnXvs
- עומדים ביחד Standing Together🟣 (@omdimbeyachad) March 30, 2024
Systematic discrimination
The “Musawa” Center has documented an increase in “systematic discrimination” against Arab citizens in Israel since the beginning of the war, and this has included arrests after posting verses from the Qur’an or messages of solidarity on social networks. Arab citizens have also been subjected to attacks in universities and discrimination at work, in addition to being prevented from doing so. Demonstrations in Arab towns with the green line.
The center's director, Jaafar Farah, indicated that these cases have declined in recent weeks.
He attributed this to the Center taking legal measures in many cases, explaining that the Israeli police no longer deal with investigations related to freedom of expression without judicial supervision.
He also pointed out that out of 350 people arrested, 140 are still being legally prosecuted.
The non-governmental center has recorded about 20 arrests per day since the start of the war, and now records a small number weekly.
Source: French