In Tel Aviv, more than 20,000 Jews and Israeli Arabs marched together Saturday night demanding that the government withdraw from the West Bank and immediately resume peace talks with the Palestinians.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that for the first time in the history of anti-war protests in Israel, a group of war widows is calling for an end to the bloodshed. The group’s first public move will announce the publication of an advertisement under the banner “No More.”

Guest:

• Adam Keller, spokesperson for Gush-Shalom. He will be able to speak about Saturday’s Peace Now rally in central Tel Aviv.

Related link:

• Gush-Shalom

Yesterday, Israel’s High Court of Justice heard an urgent petition from four Israeli human rights group concerned about the treatment of recently detained Palestinian prisoners. The petition was filed after one of the groups, B’Tselem, received information from an Israeli prison source that Palestinians are being tortured. The source also said that the prisoners have been denied basic medical treatment. The court, however, rejected the human rights group’s petition.

Since Israel began its siege 10 days ago, thousands of Palestinians have been arbitrarily detained and arrested by Israeli soldiers. The soldiers roam the streets, searching house to house, removing men between the ages of 15 and 45. Some reports say over 1500 men have been detained in Ramallah alone. No one knows exactly what has happened to them.

Beyond the disappearances, there have been reports of widespread human rights violations in the Occupied Territories.

Guest:

• Jessica Montell, executive director, B’Tselem, the leading Israeli human rights organization monitoring the situation in the Occupied Territories. They try to affect Israeli public discourse through Knesset and other official means.

Related link:

• B’Tselem