Old world chants and fading hopes for peace as march takes to Halifax streets

HALIFAX, N.S. — Hundreds of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” marched through downtown Halifax on Sunday afternoon.

Both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories lay between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

“Jews can continue to exist, the Zionist ideology cannot,” said Yara Jamal of Free Palestine Halifax which organized the march.

Pressed for whether by “Zionist ideology” she meant Israel, she said, “The state, no, cannot exist.”

Meanwhile, Israel is preparing to launch a ground offensive into Gaza to eliminate Hamas, the fundamentalist Islamic government of the densely populated area that launched the attacks starting on Oct. 7 that intentionally targeted civilians.

Both sides are demanding the absolute elimination of the other.

“At this time the world stands with Israel. But I have a fear that in two weeks or a month as Israel defends itself, the media will begin calling them ‘militants’ and ‘combatants.’ They are not, they are terrorists and murderers,” Rabbi Yakov Kerzner told the Chronicle Herald during a pro-Israel demonstration held Oct. 8 along Spring Garden Road. 

“The world needs to know they can’t create a moral equivalency between one side and the other.” 

The chants and anger dating back 70 years of conflict over the Holy Land, have arrived on our own streets.

Palestinian supporters on Sunday carried images of children killed and displaced during Israel’s bombing campaign.

During the pro-Israel demonstration two weeks ago, participants carried posters with pictures of civilians killed by Hamas and of women being dragged away to be held as hostages.

Complicating matters further, Sunday’s Free Palestine march was originally meant to be a counter demonstration set to begin at the same time and place (Citadel Hill) as one organized by Halifax Iranians.

Titled United Against Terrorism, the demonstration’s flyer referred to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hamas as terrorists.

The protest organized by a group of the Iranian diaspora living in Halifax, many of whom oppose the hardline religious regime since 1979, was canceled in the face a “global cautionary warning” and the forecasted rain.

There is at least one thing shared by those at pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrations – fading hope.

“If the U.S., Canada and western countries continue supporting Israel, no I personally don’t have hope for a free Palestine any time soon,” said Jamal.

For his part, on Oct. 8, Kerzner said, “Four days ago I would have said there is clearly a path (to peace), the Arab governments are on a path to making peace with Israel. But now I don’t know what to tell you. I have been wrong so many times before.”