Hundreds of pro-peace demonstrators gathered to form a “human peace chain” around the walls of the Old City, in a call to stop the violence amid the recent escalation between Israel and terror groups in Gaza – violence which has spilled over onto Israeli streets.In the past week and a half, what started as a confrontation between Palestinians and Israel Border Police attempting to quell a violent protest at the al-Aqsa mosque — with the precursor of the impending Sheikh Jarrah evictions — eventually culminated in the firing of 3,700-plus rockets by Gaza terror groups into Israel, with seven of them aimed at Jerusalem.As rockets flew over Israel, so did IDF fighter jets, as Israel has responded to the provocation with a wide operation of precise airstrikes targeting terrorist operatives, infrastructure and weapons depots in the Gaza Strip.The rockets aimed at Jerusalem and the actions of Border Police at the al-Aqsa mosque, was the match pair that lit the tinderbox that is Israel. Following the escalation in Gaza, scores of Arab and Jewish protesters took to the streets to engage in civil violence — with the battlefields consisting of cities with mixed populations of Arabs and Jews.“For over a week, the entire country has been in flames, thousands of rockets, bombings, igniting of property, shocking acts of violence, and fear and terror from all directions,” said Rivi Diamond, a member of Women Wage Peace and one of the event organizers. “We, Jewish and Arab women, religious and secular, together with the majority of citizens of Israel, from the entire political spectrum, refuse to let violence destroy our home.
“In the face of the thousands of words of violence, hatred, power, revenge, arrogance, and racism we will stand without words and our thunderous silence will create the “victory image” for all of us,” she added. “We must remember that only together, even if we have differences of opinion, may we create a shared future and work to reach peace with our neighbors.”
