Observing a Political Rally

Today as I was leaving Hebrew U on my way down to my apartment, I observed a new, but not altogether unexpected, occurrence. Across the street, stretching to block out the entirety of the vast "Hebrew University of Jerusalem" sign, stood a group of people. These people, about 30-40 in number, were waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans and other things that I did not begin to understand. The group was made up mostly of Arabs, but there was a smattering of Westerners scattered throughout the chanters as well. The people were lead by a female with a megaphone, and they were doing what all political protesters do: listening to her chant a slogan and then mindlessly repeating her. Palestinian flags were everywhere, but here or there a person would be holding a placard with slogans written in Arabic on it. What made me stop and watch for a bit, however, were the people holding up pictures. These pictures had one thing in common: they each depicted a close-up head shot of a man. Each picture showed a different person, and they were displayed prominently at the front of the group. I did not know exactly what they were chanting or what the specific cause of the protest was, but I gathered that it was something along the lines of "Free Palestine". I also assume that the pictures were of men killed by Israelis in the "Occupied Territories" as some would call them. Surrounding this group of protesters were cameramen trying to catch a shot and heavily armed policemen, alert and ready to shut down the assembly at the first sign of trouble. Further away from the protesters, standing along the perimeter of the area, tall guys wearing sunglasses and earpieces and carrying semi-automatic weapons also silently watched. These guys all were talking into their wrist-radios and all had a look on their face saying "don't mess with me." I would hazard a guess that they were Shin Bet officers, Israel's internal security service (the FBI on steroids). All of them were very tense, and several had their hands on their guns. The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank has chosen to switch to a strategy of civil disobedience and "peaceful" protest, but these guys grew up during the two intifadas. I'm sure that they were under strict orders to make sure another one didn't happen. A soldier in uniform also watched, but he was unarmed. As I walked down the street and away from the protesters, I saw several police cars lined up, with guys who looked like they were part of a swat team standing next to them. Needless to say, I left pretty quickly, not wanting to get involved. Despite the presence of some pretty heavy firepower, the Israeli security officers did nothing to disrupt or shut down the protest, giving the protesters the freedoms of assembly and free speech. I laughed to myself as I left. If only those of my countrymen who call Israelis freedom-hating racist bigoted apartheid dictators could have been there and saw what I saw. These protesters were unmolested and were allowed to speak their minds, with security present to ensure that the peaceful protest stayed peaceful. It presents such a stark contrast to Israel's neighbors. In Syria, political protesters are cut down by machine guns and butchered by helicopter gunships. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood uses street violence and thugs to intimidate and silence any opposition (a page right out of the book an Austrian corporal used with such success decades ago). There is no such thing as freedom of speech or assembly in Saudi Arabia. Israel, the only truly free country in the Middle East, deserves more credit for giving even those that vehemently disagree with it a fair hearing. Ask yourself: if you were confronted with the same realities as the Israelis, who live such a perilous existence day after day, would you do the same?