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For Ottawa resident Zvi Gross, the conflict in Gaza is personal.
His daughter and grandchildren live in Jerusalem and he regularly hears stories from her, telling of the sound of sirens signalling rockets, and the rush for shelter.
“She cannot handle it. Two little kids, she grab them, middle of cooking, middle of night. Her life is unbearable,” said Gross, who has been in Ottawa for 42 years but lived in Israel before that and was born in Hungary. His father and mother both survived the Holocaust, his mother living through Auschwitz.
That’s one of the reasons why he came out to Wednesday’s afternoon rally in support of Israel. It was organized by the Ottawa Zionist Council one day into a three-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas after nearly a month of bloodshed.
Gross said coverage of the conflict has been one-sided.
“The media is the bottleneck for conversation and Israel’s voice doesn’t get through that bottleneck, so we’re trying at least to show that we care,” he said. “What about peace for Israel?”
He contends, as did many signs held by people in the rally, the blame for much of the killing — to date nearly 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and more than 60 Israelis, the majority soldiers — should be laid at Hamas’s feet, for launching its attacks from areas crowded with civilians, and hiding behind them.
About 100 others joined Gross at the Human Rights Monument before they marched on Parliament Hill, moving between religious songs and chants of “Israel,” “IDF,” and “Harper.”
Protesters praised the Canadian government’s stance in support of Israel, and many were garbed in Canadian or Israeli flags, some holding them high above their heads.
The protest ended with speeches from organizers, Israelis with direct experience in the conflict, and an IDF soldier, before a man broke out in the Islamic call to prayer.
Soloman Mohammad was shuffled off by police after a woman, draped in an Israeli flag, angrily confronted him.
Mohammad said he didn’t plan to come to the protest, but was on his way to appear in court when he saw the rally.
“It’s only fair for me to stand up,” said Mohammad, who said he had family who died in Gaza.
“I don’t mean to cause a disturbance, but I mean to cause distress in their minds so that they go and look for the truth,” said the 23-year-old, echoing similar words to Israeli protesters that truth needs to be spoken, albeit from a different world view.
Rally organizer Adam Aptowitzer said Palestinians, the United Nations, and media have all spread misinformation.
“This fight isn’t about religion, this fight is not about land, this fight is about existence. This fight is about right versus wrong and we are right,” said Aptowitzer to cheers from the crowd.
Friends Ella Dagan and Elena Riger, who are both from Israel and living in Ottawa, stood with their shoulders wrapped in the blue and white Israeli flag.
Dagan said she had “mixed feelings” about the ceasefire.
“Considering the history, it’s hard to be optimistic,” she said.
Added Riger: “It has never held.”
sallen@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
His daughter and grandchildren live in Jerusalem and he regularly hears stories from her, telling of the sound of sirens signalling rockets, and the rush for shelter.
“She cannot handle it. Two little kids, she grab them, middle of cooking, middle of night. Her life is unbearable,” said Gross, who has been in Ottawa for 42 years but lived in Israel before that and was born in Hungary. His father and mother both survived the Holocaust, his mother living through Auschwitz.
That’s one of the reasons why he came out to Wednesday’s afternoon rally in support of Israel. It was organized by the Ottawa Zionist Council one day into a three-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas after nearly a month of bloodshed.
Gross said coverage of the conflict has been one-sided.
“The media is the bottleneck for conversation and Israel’s voice doesn’t get through that bottleneck, so we’re trying at least to show that we care,” he said. “What about peace for Israel?”
He contends, as did many signs held by people in the rally, the blame for much of the killing — to date nearly 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and more than 60 Israelis, the majority soldiers — should be laid at Hamas’s feet, for launching its attacks from areas crowded with civilians, and hiding behind them.
About 100 others joined Gross at the Human Rights Monument before they marched on Parliament Hill, moving between religious songs and chants of “Israel,” “IDF,” and “Harper.”
Protesters praised the Canadian government’s stance in support of Israel, and many were garbed in Canadian or Israeli flags, some holding them high above their heads.
The protest ended with speeches from organizers, Israelis with direct experience in the conflict, and an IDF soldier, before a man broke out in the Islamic call to prayer.
Soloman Mohammad was shuffled off by police after a woman, draped in an Israeli flag, angrily confronted him.
Mohammad said he didn’t plan to come to the protest, but was on his way to appear in court when he saw the rally.
“It’s only fair for me to stand up,” said Mohammad, who said he had family who died in Gaza.
“I don’t mean to cause a disturbance, but I mean to cause distress in their minds so that they go and look for the truth,” said the 23-year-old, echoing similar words to Israeli protesters that truth needs to be spoken, albeit from a different world view.
Rally organizer Adam Aptowitzer said Palestinians, the United Nations, and media have all spread misinformation.
“This fight isn’t about religion, this fight is not about land, this fight is about existence. This fight is about right versus wrong and we are right,” said Aptowitzer to cheers from the crowd.
Friends Ella Dagan and Elena Riger, who are both from Israel and living in Ottawa, stood with their shoulders wrapped in the blue and white Israeli flag.
Dagan said she had “mixed feelings” about the ceasefire.
“Considering the history, it’s hard to be optimistic,” she said.
Added Riger: “It has never held.”
sallen@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
