RAMALLAH: Thousands of Israelis marched in Tel Aviv on Friday calling for human rights, Jerusalem Post reported. The march took place before the upcoming International Human Rights Day. The march included representatives and members from across the Israeli political spectrum. Leftwing factions such as Meretz, a socialist-Zionist party, and Hadash, a non-Zionist socialist umbrella, took part. “Billions are invested in national defense, but very little is in invested in defending women who on a daily basis face oppression, harassment, violence and murder,” ACRI President Sami Michael said in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, Jerusalem Post reported. Very little was said about the human rights of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, however. “I think it's a bit ironic," Najeeb, a 27-year-old Palestinian from Ramallah, told BikyaMasr.com. “Basically, they march through Tel Aviv, the ultimate Jewish Israeli city, and speak of human rights. It's bizarre for a country like Israel, which tries to glorify its gay rights record for instance." “It's a marketing scheme on Israel's part, a way of branding Israel's image to the international community. They speak about gay rights and women's rights, but how are the rights of gays and women living under occupation." According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), around 5,000 people marched. Many of them were from Tel Aviv, but many were also bused in from various parts of the country.
