(The following article is from the June 16-30,  2010 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)

15,000 communist and peace activists marched in Tel Aviv on June 5, to mark 43 years of Palestinian and Arab territories occupation, and to slam the IDF murder raids on Gaza-bound ships.

     Dozens of fascist counter-protesters attempted to disrupt the demonstration, and at one point a smoke grenade was hurled at the protestors outside the Tel Aviv Museum. No injuries were reported in the incident. Later, right-wing protesters tried to attack veteran peace activist Uri Avneri, snatching signs he was carrying.

     The demonstration, which was held under the slogan "The government is drowning us all," was originally planned by the Communist Party of Israel (CPI) and Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) solely to protest the occupation, but following the deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish vessel trying to run the Gaza blockade, the rally also addressed the criminal government's policies in regard to the Gaza Strip and the military operation that left nine foreigners dead.

     "The government is drowning us all" read a large sign in the rally. Dov Khenin, a legislator for Hadash and leading communist militant, charged that "Barak has refused to move on the path of peace and leads [us to] a dangerous deterioration. The same people who sent the soldiers to take over the flotilla in the middle of the night are liable to send Israel to a new and terrible war". Hadash chair Mohamed Barakeh declared, "We will not let the crazy right wing push aside the left and the Arab sector into political isolation."

     A spokesman for the organizers of the rally told journalists it "was an even bigger success than he expected" and that he believes the past week's events had led to an increase in the number of participants. It showed that "people are opposed to this government that is driving us toward international isolation and a new war."

     The communist and pacifist protestors, who walked from Rabin Square to the Tel Aviv Museum, held up signs reading "The government is sinking all of us - we must aspire for peace" and "Israel, Palestine, two states for two people". The rally has been organized by a communist and peace coalition that includes Hadash, CPI and Meretz parties, the Young Communist Guard (Banki-Shabiba), Peace Now, Gush Shalom, Yesh Gvul, Physicians for Human Rights, and other organizations. The march was led by CPI chair Muhammad Nafah, Knesset Members Muhammad Barakeh, Dov Khenin, Afo Agbarie and Hanna Sweid (from Hadash) and Knesset Members Haim Oron and Nitzan Horowitz (from Meretz).