JERUSLAEM – Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s daughter this weekend took part in a demonstration against the Jewish state in which Israeli leaders were termed “killers” and calls were made for the Palestinian Arab intifada – or terror war – to prevail.
The demonstration took place outside the Tel Aviv house of Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff Dan Halutz following an explosion this weekend on a northern Gaza Strip beach that reportedly killed seven Palestinian Arabs and wounded more than 40.
At first, the IDF was blamed widely for the Gaza beach explosion. The army routinely fires artillery shells at empty areas in northern Gaza in response to the regular launching of Qassam rockets by terrorists from the area aimed at nearby Jewish communities.
But Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said Israeli naval or air shelling at the beach have been ruled out and that Israel was investigating whether the explosion was a stray Israeli artillery shell or a “work accident” by a Palestinian explosives crew.
Still, hundreds of major media outlets accused Israel of shelling civilians. Many reports quoted Palestinian officials calling the Gaza beach incident a “massacre.”
Despite reports both from Israel and the Palestinian Arabs there was only one explosion on the Gaza beach, the Guardian newspaper of London claimed “a barrage of Israeli artillery shells rained down on a busy Gaza beach.” The Independent attributed the incident to “Israeli naval gunboats” even though an Israeli investigation concluded there was no naval bombardment at the time of the explosion.
Leaders of five human rights organizations yesterday sent a letter to Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz’s office, calling on him act immediately to “end the killing of Palestinian civilians in the territories and uproot the elements that contribute to this killing.” The letter reportedly did not mention the regular Qassam missile firings by Palestinian Arab terrorists Israel says prompts its military response in Gaza.
At the demonstration outside Halutz’s house, some 200 leftist activists protested the Gaza beach explosion, blaming Israel for the incident.
Dana Olmert, the prime minister’s daughter, took part in the rally.
Protesters chanted slogans such as “[Tel Aviv] residents, there’s a murderer in your neighborhood,” in reference to Halutz. They brandished signs calling on the Jewish state to “put a stop to the murder of civilians.”
Some posters called Halutz a killer and stated, “the intifada shall prevail.”
Activists also reportedly shouted, “Neighbors, ask Halutz why he’s killing children and how many.”
A prominent member of the Israeli opposition Likud party commented Olmert’s family has a history of left-wing activism.
“That Dana Olmert participates in these treacherous, anti-Semitic protests jibes with everything else we know about Olmert’s family,” said the Likud member, speaking on condition his name be withheld.
In the run-up to recent Israeli elections, which Olmert’s Kadima Party won by a slim plurality, the Likud featured a series of television ads blasting Olmert’s family as pacifists and army deserters.
One Likud broadcast began with a scene of Olmert at a speech exclaiming, “I want our children to have a better future.” A background voice then asks which children Olmert is referring to. “perhaps his own children, Olmert’s sons and one of his daughters, who refused to serve in the IDF; moreover, his sons live overseas and do not see their future in Israel … if Olmert’s children who live abroad knew of his withdrawal plan, they would not return to Israel at all.”
Prior to elections, Olmert announced his administration would seek to withdraw Israel from most of Judea and Samaria – mountainous territory within rocket firing range of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the country’s international airport.
Olmert’s oldest son Shaul lives in New York full time. After he finished compulsory Israeli military service, Shaul signed a petition of the pacifist organization Yesh G’vul, which calls for soldiers to refuse specific orders or not serve in the Israeli military all together.
The acting prime minister’s youngest son, Ariel, reportedly refused to serve in the IDF.
Israel has a mandatory draft for all Jewish men and women over the age of 18.
Dana, who participated in this weekend’s demonstration, is active in Machshom Watch, an Israeli leftist organization that monitors and often acts against Israeli checkpoints in Judea and Samaria. The IDF says the checkpoints are necessary to stop terrorists from infiltrating Israeli cities.
Some politicians who ran against Olmert also pointed out in ads and debates that Olmert’s wife Aliza long has been involved in extreme leftist activism.
Aliza Olmert reportedly is a member of Israeli Women in Black, an activist group that calls for Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria and parts of Jerusalem.
Articles in the Israeli media have stated Aliza has been involved in the leftist Peace Now group and reportedly has voted for the Meretz party, whose platform includes the division of Jerusalem.
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