On Friday, two Palestinian citizens of Israel, Ibrahim Abu Ahmad and Shahd Bishara, were finally permitted to march against the Gaza War in the country’s predominantly Arab north.
For the almost 20 percent of the population that has felt silenced since the war broke out in October, the demonstration in Shefa Amr was a significant step forward.
A banner reading “Only peace will bring security” was flown during the comparatively tiny protest, which drew about 100 participants, including Jews from peace movements.
Watchdog groups had complained that Palestinian citizens of Israel had struggled to get official authorisation for anti-war protests, pointing to discrimination.
Following the onset of war, Israel’s police chief Kobi Shabtai declared a “zero tolerance” policy for protests in support of Gaza, even threatening to send anti-war demonstrators to the besieged territory.
In a video that was uploaded online, Shabtai stated that Israel cannot allow “all sorts of people to come and test us”.
But on Friday, the demonstrators sang as they made their way down Shefa Amr’s main street. Shefa Amr is a sizable town in the northern Galilee region of Israel, home to a sizable Arab minority. The town is perched on a hill.
The protestors chanted “Peace, freedom, social justice!” and “Freedom, freedom for Palestine” while holding a banner with Hebrew and Arabic writing.
Residents of the Christian cemetery were clearly astonished by the march, which was led by a police car and was received with smiles as it passed.
