Who needs a war, keeps it simmering - Joint Jewish-Arab demonstration to mark 46 years of occupation

Saturday 1.6.13 at 19:00 - Meeting point: Sarona Garden Kaplan St.,Tel Aviv, opposite the Defense Ministry

After 46 years of occupation, the underlying realities are more than ever laid bare. It is now clear whose interests are served by the policy of perpetual occupation and ever-threatening wars. Since 1967, Prime Ministers and their cabinets continually strove to mobilize international support for their ongoing dragging of feet. Ever and again, they deliberately avoided any true and honest diplomatic process – since such a process would have led to an end to the occupation and would have posed the June 4 lines as the indispensable basis for the achievement of peace.

Bloodshed, bereavement, oppression, plunder and the plight of the Palestinian people, deprived of their right to self-determination – all of these are but part of the calamities resulting from occupation and war, which are perpetrated in the service of foreign and anti-patriotic interests. Half of the state budget is devoted to military expenditures and to repayment of debts from past wars. This leaves no room for no social justice, no money for education, health and public housing, and dooms more than a third of Israeli children to live below the poverty line.

By now it is obvious, for all to see, that the interests which maintain war and occupation are the very same interests that increase poverty, trample upon democracy and deepen ethnic discrimination and racism. It has become manifestly clear, more than ever before, what baleful influence is wielded by the arms industry and arms dealers, whose turnover amounts to billions. They are dictating a warlike agenda which fits their interests, and push aside all political alternatives. “National Security” has become the code word for pushing social issues down to the bottom of national priorities. Social needs are being completely suppressed and silenced, paving the way to continued oppression and exploitation.

On Saturday night, June 1, 2013 at 7:00 PM, we will gather at the Sarona Park, opposite the Ministry of Defense on Kaplan St,. Tel Aviv. Men and women, Jews and Arabs, all together we will march towards Metzudat Ze’ev, the ruling party’s headquarters on King George Street. Together we will cry out: No more wars! : No more occupation! No more favoring of arms industries at the expense of the masses! No more provoking of other peoples! Yes to the Palestinian People’s right to self-determination! Yes to peace between two states, Israel and Palestine! Yes to evacuation of the settlements! Yes to two capitals in Jerusalem! Yes to resolving the refugee issue on the basis of UN resolutions! Yes to ending the occupation! Yes to a just peace!