As usual, journalist, Amira Hass, has articulated eloquently with poetic passion how Israel’s attack on the Gaza strip has sparked the largest West Bank protest in years, with more than 15, 000 people marching thursday from Ramallah toward Jerusalem. She pointed out how they could not ignore the savage assault against the people of Gaza and that they felt personally connected to them and their ordeal. She explained further that they could not remain silent while this outrage was going on and that they had to take a stand. She was deeply impressed, even touched, by the phenomenon, saying, “There were whole families, and women and men, traditional and modern, and middle-class and workers. Everybody went very determined to show that this is enough.” She viewed this as a promising development that implied a turning point in the struggle of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank for dignity and self-determination because it suggested the beginning of a renewal of unity among both parts, that had been disconnected due to the rift between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Thus, she concluded that this turning point of spontaneous unity and determination by these demonstrators to end their humiliation and oppression in the West Bank and forge a link with the people Gaza would be very threatening to the government of Israel.
Yet she was appalled by the unwarranted violent response of the IDF to the demonstrators in which “Two Palestinians were killed and more than 200 were wounded when Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition.” She claimed that the use of force was excessive. on a brighter note, she felt deeply impressed by the spirit of the demonstrators to oppose the occupation and their struggle for dignity and freedom. In conclusion, she believed that demonstration and revived ferment in the West Bank could lead ultimately to a positive outcome for the Palestinians in their struggle for peace, justice, dignity, and freedom.