Israeli police ban Gaza children photos from anti-war protest, then backtrack
The police had issued a list of restrictions to Standing Together, the group organising the protest set for Thursday.
According to the police letter obtained by Haaretz, the list included bans on images of children from Gaza, signs referring to captives, and the use of terms such as 'genocide' and 'ethnic cleansing'.
Following the publication of the restrictions, the police appeared to backtrack.
According to the Times of Israel, protest organisers received updated instructions that omitted the previously banned content.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
In response to the initial restrictions, Standing Together accused the police of politicising the protest and attempting to censor public criticism of the war and government policy.
'Since [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu chose to collapse the ceasefire deal to allow [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir to return to the coalition, the release of the hostages from Hamas captivity has been halted, and many Palestinian children have died,' the statement added.
At the outset of the Israeli war on Gaza, police imposed a ban on anti-war protests.
Attempts by activists and Palestinian citizens of Israel to demonstrate against the war were met with a heavy-handed police response.
Even when some protests were permitted months later, banners calling to 'stop the genocide' were often confiscated.
Earlier this month, police detained 23 people who participated in a small anti-war protest in Haifa.
Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have killed more than 51,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including over 15,000 children.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
4 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
'Famine is unfolding': 24 European countries call for unrestricted aid to Gaza
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached "unimaginable levels", Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said on Tuesday, calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave. "Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation," the foreign ministers of 24 countries said in a joint statement. "We call on the government of Israel to provide authorisation for all international NGO (non-governmental organisations) aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating," the statement said. "All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment." Israel has denied responsibility for hunger spreading in Gaza, accusing Hamas militants of stealing aid shipments, which Hamas denies. However, in response to a rising international uproar, Israel late last month announced steps to let more aid into the enclave, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. Western capitals, however, say much more aid is needed. The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain. The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and two other members of the European Commission also signed the statement. Some EU member countries, including Germany and Hungary, did not sign it.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Latest: Hamas delegation is in Cairo in bid to salvage ceasefire talks
Israeli strikes kill at least 89 Palestinians in 24 hours Five more Palestinians die of hunger, taking total deaths from starvation to 227 France must take stronger measures against Israel, say ex-ambassadors Trump believes Hamas won't release hostages in 'current situation' Israeli opposition chief backs general strike 'in solidarity' At least 61,599 Palestinians killed and 154,088 wounded in Gaza since war began
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Norway's sovereign fund expects more withdrawals from Israeli portfolio
Norway's $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, on Tuesday said that it expects more withdrawals from its Israeli portfolio. The announcement came one day after it said it was terminating contracts with external asset managers handling some of its investments in Israeli companies. It has also divested parts of its portfolio in Israel over the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 'We expect to divest from more companies,' the fund's chief executive, Nicolai Tangen, said at a press conference. The fund announced that it had sold its stakes of just over 2 per cent in Israeli jet engine group Bet Shemesh Engins Ltd (BSEL). It provides services to Israel's armed forces, including the maintenance of fighter jets. Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), an arm of Norway's central bank, which held stakes in 61 Israeli companies as of June 30, in recent days divested stakes in 11, including BSEL. It did not name the other companies. The fund began investing in BSEL in November 2023, about one month after the war in Gaza began, through an external investment manager, Mr Tangen said. The fund declined to give details of the external portfolio manager. BSEL was later reviewed as a high-risk stock in May. That change should have been quicker, Mr Tangen said, adding that NBIM should have had a tighter overview of these investments earlier. 'We should have been quicker in taking back control of the Israeli investments,' he said. The review began last week following media reports that the fund had built a stake in BSEL, which did not respond to requests for comment. NBIM had held quarterly meetings with Bet Shemesh Holdings, but the war in Gaza was not raised as a theme. 'We had discussions about their business in the United States, not about the war in Gaza,' Mr Tangen said, adding that the fund had rated BSEL as a 'medium risk' stock with regards to ethics concerns. In a press statement issued on Monday, the fund said that Norway's Finance Ministry had requested that it review its implementation of the management mandate of the fund, its investments in Israeli companies, and to propose new measures that it deems necessary. It has until August 20 to respond to a letter sent by the Finance Ministry. The fund said that the 11 Israeli companies that it had divested from since June were 'not in the equity benchmark index of the ministry'. Last week, NBIM decided to sell all investments in Israeli companies that are not in the equity benchmark. All investments in Israeli companies that had been managed externally would also be brought in-house. 'These measures were taken in response to extraordinary circumstances. The situation in Gaza is a serious humanitarian crisis. We are invested in companies that operate in a country at war, and conditions in the West Bank and Gaza have recently worsened,' Mr Tangen said in that statement. The fund, which invests the Norwegian state's revenue from oil and gas production, is one of the world's largest investors, owning on average 1.5 per cent of all listed stocks worldwide. It also invests in bonds, real estate and renewable energy projects. On Tuesday, it posted a 698 billion Norwegian crowns ($68.28 billion) profit for the first half of the year, earning an overall return of 5.7 per cent in line with its benchmark index. 'The result is driven by good returns in the stock market, particularly in the financial sector,' Mr Tangen said in a statement.
