Posted 6th June 2001

Israel, The View From Aotea Square
by Austin Whitten in Auckland NZ

The rally at Aotea Square yesterday went well although we had some audio competition from two nearby tents in the Square, one containing the "Marimba Band of Hamilton" - not too bad, considering the nature of marimbas, albeit the band numbered about 20 - and the second holding forth with native drummers, which proved to be more daunting. In the end, we had the PA system cranked up to full volume and when I talked to David Wakim, the organiser, at the end and said that it had been challenging, he replied, "yes, but I think we won". I couldn't help thinking whilst David spoke at the rally that this was probably going to be the most intelligent commentary I was likely to hear this weekend on not just what was happening in Israel, but in the world in general. What a gap between what is available in the media and what I heard.

The morning's news - the deaths of a young Palestinian by suicide and of 17 Israeli youths from the bomb he carried - circulated through the gathering, was sobering and highlighted why we were there. The rally began with a minute of silence for those who had died. There were no signs of vengeance, bloodlust or gloating, just a degree of sadness for what was happening and a fervent desire to see an end to it. The Saturday market at Aotea Square is turning into a nice people place. People were relaxed and seemed to accept the handouts without feeling threatened. More people than usual stopped to read the signs and listen to the speeches. Again, I was struck by the gap between the mainstream and what I was seeing. Most people these days read about or listen to news of world events in isolation, in their living rooms, presented by institutions with economic and social agendas that disqualify them as objective commentators.

There is no opportunity to ask questions or to engage in discussions. I suspect that most who attended the rally came away understanding more and were less cynical than they would have been after reading the daily paper or listening to the nightly news. And they certainly stood a better chance of understanding more of the situation. Some wise and intelligent speeches were given by Palestinians, living in Auckland. There were eulogies for two notable Palestinians who died recently. One was Faisal Husseini, a man of peace, who I had just read about in the NY Times. The rallies will take place on the first Saturday of every month, for one hour. I would recommend them to anyone who would like to meet interesting people, hear and participate in intelligent discussions and to have a very nice people experience.