On a sunny Sunday at the end of May, the North East branch of Standing Together held their second Vigil for Peace and Justice in Israel and Palestine, after a highly successful first vigil earlier in April.
This time, however, there was an added emphasis on good community relations in and around Newcastle and standing up against anti-Semitism.
It was therefore significant that members of the Newcastle Green Party came and supported the vigil, especially in light of a small number of controversies surrounding the local elections three weeks earlier.
It was clear that the Newcastle Greens stand for both justice and peace in Israel and Palestine, including justice for the Palestinian people, while also standing firmly against anti-Semitism in Newcastle and across the country.
The vigil
In the event itself, there were a number of speakers.
The first spoke about the role of Standing Together and its work, including the Solidarity Guard on Jerusalem Day, when a record 400 volunteers had turned up to protect Palestinians from abuse and possible violence from right-wing marchers.
Standing Together wanted to cover each and every part of Jerusalem and protect as many Palestinians as they could. One religious Jewish person who worked for Standing Together was said to have been appalled at the level of violence emanating from his own community.
Indeed it was emphasised that the work of Standing Together was of real practical value to Palestinians. Standing Together have done many practical things to help them in recent months, including providing food aid for residents of Gaza and also providing much needed bomb shelters for people in Palestinian villages, who otherwise would have been left unprotected.
It was also argued that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a forever war. It simply is not the case. Palestinians and Israeli Jews are working together on the ground to build peace in the region.
Then there were readings and poems about the need for peace and justice in Israel and Palestine, inducing a poem by Michael Rosen, criticising the Israeli government for making it unlawful for the media in Israel to name the dead children in Gaza. The poem was called ‘Don’t mention the children’.
We also heard from another speaker who quoted Israeli writer Amos Oz about thoughts of hatred and how we should not accept them. Especially when they are directed at a whole group of people
The vigil finished with ten minutes of silence. Attendees held a piece of red string to bring people together and remember all those suffering in Israel and Palestine.
Building a better future
This was another moving vigil by the Northeast branch of Standing Together, in support of the brave Israeli jews and Palestinians, who refuse to be overwhelmed by hatred and despair and are working together and working hard to build a better future for all the people of Israel and Palestine.
