Spotlight

The dead take over London's Kensington Court

A report by Sarah Cave on a Jewish-Arab "die-in" held in protest at Israel's abuse of Palestinian human rights

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On Sunday 10 December 2000, Jews Against the Occupation held a "die-in" near the Israeli Embassy in London to protest against the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and the killing of more than 300 Palestinians since 28 September.

In a moving tribute to the Palestinians killed in the last two months, a Mizrahi Israeli Jew read out the names of each of those killed. It took more than 40 minutes to read the names of the dead. Their simple bio-data and photographs commemorated their deaths as Jewish sympathizers lay down in Kensington Court in symbolic support of the sacrifice of Palestinians in the face of the Israeli occupation.

At the end of the roll call, the names and photographs of the victims were laid out on the ground as testimony to the scale of the tragedy, and the sheer number of Palestinians who have lost their lives.

Christmas shoppers in Kensington High Street paused to look at the tribute and commented on the number of deaths and their youth: many of those commemorated at the event were only in their early teens when they were killed.

Jews Against the Occupation used the UN International Human Rights Day to launch a petition calling for an immediate end to the Israeli occupation, for recognition of the Palestinians' right to self-determination, to return and to compensation, and for the implementation of steps towards these rights. The petition also calls for the abolition of all discriminatory laws in Israel, and for the introduction of full legal equality between Jews and non-Jews. To date, the petition has been signed by several hundred Jews from more than 18 countries worldwide.

Israeli participants in the London protest also emphasized that the current killings were not the result of a breakdown in peace negotiations, but were the result of Israel's determination to secure its illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

The London "die-in" was one of a number of protest actions held in the UK and worldwide.

• In Sydney, supporters of the petition carried a banner in a major human rights demonstration.
• In New York, the Not In Our Name coalition organized a candlelight vigil for "peace with justice" opposite the Israeli Consulate.
• In Toronto, a rally was held at the University of Toronto. The rally was co-sponsored by the Jewish Women's Committee to end the Occupation, the United Jewish People's Order (Toronto) and the Toronto Jewish Network for Social Justice.
• In Switzerland, supporters of the petition took part in pickets for "a just peace in Palestine and Israel" in Bern and Zurich.
• In Edinburgh, supporters of the petition took part in activities organized by the Edinburgh Palestine Solidarity Campaign, including petitioning and leafletting on Princes Street.

To view the names on the petition so far, click here. To add your name to the petition, click here. Alternatively, you may add your name via email.

Contact for interviews:

You may arrange interviews with Professor Sol Picciotto in relation to the Coordinated International Jewish Action Against the Occupation via Hanna Khamis by email. Alternatively, you may email Professor Picciotto directly.

Sol Picciotto is Professor of Law and current head of the Faculty of Law at the University of Lancaster.

He was born in Syria to a Jewish mother of Palestinian origin (she was born in Haifa); he has visited Israel on a number of occasions.