Israeli rally opposes Gaza offensive

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Israeli prime minister's home on July 1 to denounce the government as war criminals and demand an end to the Gaza invasion. Demonstrators stood outside Ehud Olmert's official residence in Jerusalem holding banners that read, "Stop, war crimes ahead," and "Swap hostages now!" The demonstration was organized by Yesh Gvul, the peace movement that supports Israelis who refuse to serve in the military. Police and organizers estimated 600 people attended the protest. Yishai Menuhin, a spokesman for Yesh Gvul, said: "We call for our government to stop targeting Palestinian civilians–the targeting of civilians is a war crime–and start negotiating with the elected Palestinian leaders, not to arrest them." Aviv Sela, a 19-year-old who has been jailed for refusing to serve in the army, said at the protest: "The military solution is not a solution." He added that, while not everyone is prepared to go to prison, "everyone has the strength to say no" to the attack on Gaza. Other demonstrators chanted, "The occupation is terror, the refuser is a hero." The protest follows smaller actions on the same theme in the past few days at the Sufa army base near the southern Gaza border and outside the defense ministry in Tel Aviv. Commentators on the left say that the wider Israeli public is critical of the Gaza invasion, not least because there is little trust for the leadership of Olmert and the defense minister, Amir Peretz. A recent poll in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot shows 58 percent of the Israeli public were in favor of a Hamas proposal to swap Palestinian prisoners for the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas last week.