Tel Aviv crowd cheers U.S. elections result

An Israeli protester holds a sign calling for the ouster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, using his nickname "Bibi," shortly after results of the U.S. presidential election were announced, during a protest against Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2020. Thousands of Israelis protested against Netanyahu, a close ally of Trump, demanding he step down because of his handling of the coronavirus crisis and the corruption charges he faces. Maya Alleruzzo | AP

The news of the Biden victory arrived just a few hours before the annual Tel Aviv rally to commemorate the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, exactly 25 years ago. As every year, the rally concluded with Aviv Gefen singing “Let’s march into the dream / Let’s conquer peace / And not territories”.

But this year, after he finished singing, he remained on the podium and made a short impromptu speech: “On this very special day I want to thank our brothers and sisters in America. I want to thank them for showing us that you can defend Democracy and overcome the forces of disruption. To thank them for giving us hope! Forward to Victory! ” And there was an enormous cheer.

Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for their hard-fought victory and their impending entry into the White House. This is a great day for the whole world. We congratulate American democracy which managed to shake off and oust a President who trampled on the most basic of democratic norms and still persists in futile efforts to cling to his fading power.

As Israelis, we welcome the removal of a false friend who caused enormous damage to the State of Israel by pushing our country ever deeper into the mire of occupation and oppression, who distanced Israel from peace with its Palestinian neighbors — the vitally needed peace which is essential for our future and without which agreements with distant countries are completely worthless. We hope that President Biden, though having many other urgent tasks awaiting him, will return the Palestinian issue to the forefront of US policy in the Middle East. In particular — that he will act in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution stating that West Bank settlements are illegal. Biden himself, as the Vice President in the Obama Administration, was among that resolution’s’ prime movers.

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CONTRIBUTOR

Adam Keller

Israeli peace activist, co-founder and spokesperson of Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc.