Julia Chaitin addressed a crowd of thousands on July 26. “I find it hard to decide what to treat first,” she said, “the headache, the nausea, the stomach ache or the tears. I am aware that these are all symptoms of this war. … We, the Israelis and Palestinians, are falling into an abyss of war and vengeance. … Our bodies and souls are destroyed.”
The crowd at the demonstration, organized by an ad hoc coalition of peace organizations against Operation Protective Edge, listened sadly to Chaitin. “We, residents of the [southern] region in Israel and Gaza, know that our lives and security depend on each other. The only real way is to cease the fire, stop arming and seek a diplomatic solution that will benefit both people.”