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LARGEST EVER DEMONSTRATION OF BRITISH JEWS FOR ISRAEL: 55,000 AT TRAFALGAR SQUARE British Jews demonstrated their support and solidarity with the State of Israel. According to London police estimates, 55,000 Jews from throughout Great Britain came to Trafalgar Square in the center of London, which was "painted" blue and white. Thousands of demonstrators carrying Israeli flags, among them schoolchildren and members of Zionist youth movements with their insignia, Jews and non-Jews, came from throughout Britain came to demonstrate. They came with their congregations and community centers as well as through Jewish organizations. The Jewish Agency played an important role in organizing this rally, primarily in recruiting students from youth movements and their parents and people from various cities in Britain. The theme of the demonstration, "Yes to peace - no to terror" was the focus of the speeches by representatives of Britain's political parties: Peter Mendelson, former Minister of Trade and Industry, who represented the British Government and the Labour Party, and Michael Enkram, Deputy Head of the Conservative Party. Mendelson reiterated his support for an independent and strong Israel to prevent a recurrence of what happened in Europe at the time of the Nazis. Michael Enkram noted the distorted and misleading media reports of events in the Middle, referring to his visit to Israel this year, where he saw the truth. The Bishop of Oxford spoke in a similar vein. The British Jewish community was represented by Lord Gunner and Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. They both underscored the fact that no massacre took place in Jenin - in contrast to the massacres perpetrated by the terrorists during various attacks. Rabbi Sacks also noted that Israel is not alone and that British Jewry stands by her. He also noted that Israel is a peace-loving, democratic country in contrast to the Palestinians who educate their children to hate. He recalled the Israeli assistance to the Muslims in Bosnia in contrast to the hatred of the Palestinians for Israel. Israel was represented by former Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami, and Sharon Akunes, the mother of terror victim Monique. Netanyahu compared the Israeli struggle to the British struggle against the Nazis and called upon Britain and the nations of the world to fight terror alongside Israel. He denounced those who see Arafat as a legitimate leader, maintaining that he is the chief terrorist whom he compared to Bin Laden. Peace, said Netanyahu, is made with someone who wants peace and not with a terrorist who is not interested in peace. He also called upon the governments of Europe to fight the anti-Semitic attacks in their countries. Ben Ami noted that the Palestinians rejected the peace proposals of the Barak government, something that damaged all peace lovers. He also maintained that the solution to the conflict must be political and not military. Sharon Akunis told her personal story, the moving story of the mother of a girl hurt in the terror attack on a bus near Holon and the suffering of her family. David Daor provided musical entertainment for this moving event, which concluded with the British national anthem followed by Hatikva. This was the largest demonstration ever held by British Jewry.
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