Text and photos by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
Turkish choreographer Erdem Gunduz stood unnoticed in Taksim Square for several hours on Tuesday before his presence at Istanbul’s flashpoint was announced on the social network Twitter and went viral. Hundreds soon joined his protest in solidarity. Later, Turkish police intervened, clearing the square and arresting several demonstrators. On Wednesday, hundreds came back, standing still in protest from morning until late at night.
People stand in Taksim Square in Istanbul during a wave of new alternative protests, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
People stand in Taksim Square in Istanbul during a wave of new alternative protests, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
People stand in Taksim Square in Istanbul during a wave of new alternative protests, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
A woman stands in Taksim Square in Istanbul during a wave of new alternative protests, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
A doctor stands in Taksim Square in Istanbul during a wave of new alternative protests, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
Students stand and read in Taksim Square in Istanbul during a wave of new alternative protests, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
A couple kiss during a standing protest on Taksim Square, Istanbul, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
People help a man who fainted after long hours of standing in Taksim Square, Istanbul, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
People stand in Taksim Square in Istanbul during a wave of new alternative protests, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
People stand in Taksim Square in Istanbul during a wave of new alternative protests, June 18, 2013. Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war – the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel and the massive retaliatory Israeli attacks on Gaza. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing violence.
We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed unleashed by these events has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Hamas’ murderous assault in southern Israel has devastated and shocked the country to its core. Israel’s retaliatory bombing of Gaza is wreaking destruction on the already besieged strip and killing a ballooning number of civilians. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to escalate their attacks on Palestinians.
This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 13 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, the entrenched occupation, and an increasingly normalized siege on Gaza.
We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives.
Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is the leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists and activists can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.