"I have come to Tel Aviv from my home at Moshav Ein Habshor, which is in Qassam missile range from the Gaza Strip, in order to take part in this protest outside the Defense Ministry and demand a resumption of the truce" said Naomi Ben Nasat, an inhabitant of the Gaza border area, to a group of about a hundred peace activists gathered for a protest vigil outside the Defense Ministry gates in Tel Aviv.

"My children are already living days in an improvised air raid shelter, feeling fear and anxiety. I feel we are suffering in vain, and only due to a provocation by the government of Israel, which destroyed a five-month old truce. This gave us nothing but Qassams and more Qassams."

The activists had spread out along the sidewalk, unfurling signs reading: "There is no military solution in Gaza – ceasefire now!", "Siege is the continuation of the occupation", "No more power cuts in Gaza – put on the light, turn off the siege" and "Hamas is a partner for ceasefire". Shortly after their arrival, police forces charged the demonstrators and tried to push and drag them to a distant corner – mainly because a building opposite the Defense Ministry gates housed at that time a large event attended by members of the American Jewish Communities attending their annual General Assembly in Israel.

Yuval Oron, a young demonstrator, was dragged with considerable force into a police patrol car and taken away. Later, a second protester, Ronnie Barkan, was detained in the same way. The two were held overnight at police headquarters, with their fellow activists gathered in front of the building, demanding their release. One is accused of "assaulting policemen" – to which his friends reacted "This is a complete, ridiculous fabrication".

"We tried to talk in English with the representatives of the US Jewish communities, to tell them of the grave humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli siege, to remark on the the escalation and bloodshed caused since the Government of Israel violated unilaterally the ceasefire, by an invasion of the Strip's territory two weeks ago. We tried to tell them that a blind support for a wrong, destructive policy by the Government of Israel does not help us Israelis – to the contrary, it causes us grave damage. It seems that somebody in the police, or among those in charge of the police, did not like us to make such contacts" say the organizers, including members of Gush Shalom, Coalition of Women for Peace. Anarchists Against Walls and Hadash.

After the police erected fences to prevent activists from approaching the gathering place of the US Jewish representatives, demonstrators pushed up to the fence and chanted "End the Occupation – Yes, we can!" (in English).

[An initiative of the 'Coalition Against the Gaza Siege' of which Gush Shalom is part.]