Yesterday's report on the detention of members of the feminist group New Profile in Israel included the crushing statement by New Profile member Ruth Hiller that the crackdown signals "real changes in Israeli society." An American friend echoes this point:
I read a Hebrew blog that linked the New Forum detention to the crackdown since Gaza: 700 Palestinian citizens arrested during "Cast Lead," a bunch of arrests in Be'er Sheva in January at an anti-war protest (including Leah Shakdiel), then Lieberman's campaign… Not so much more than what New Profile itself wrote, but just has a few more details.
And this is from Leah Shakdiel's letter on her January arrest (on an Ithaca student's blog):
I carried a sign in Arabic "In Gaza and Sderot children deserve to
live" and near me someone carried a sign in Hebrew that said, "Stop,
hold fire, talk". The group Darom4peace ["South for Peace"] is that
wishy-washy, yes, very middle of the road we thought, no extreme left,
no accusation of Israeli govt or army, not even "peace now" type of
thing.Yet the police these dark days are apparently instructed
to play an active role in boosting public morale and national unity, so
they jumped into our midst literally and grabbed six of us on Wednesday
into their cars etc. Four univ students, myself, and Nir Oren, the
director of an NGO called The Parents Circle
(look it up on the net), or in Hebrew, Forum Mishpahot Shakulot,
Israeli and Palestinian families who lost a family member in the
conflict and work together towards peace. Nir's own mother was killed
in a suicide bombing of a bus in 1995.
A lot on the blogosphere. Wonder when it's going to hit the media?
