The photo above shows a group of Israeli high school kids holding banners in support of Labor candidate Shimon Peres. The signs read 'Israel is strong with Peres'. The photo below shows a car with campaign posters supporting Netanyahu.
The picture above shows Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, named for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who was assassinated by a Jewish extremist there in November 1995 at a peace rally attended by over 100,000 Israeli peace activists. Mr. Rabin's death, a tragedy to the people of Israel, struck a devastating blow to the peace process and to public confidence and morale.
Rabin Square has also become a place for Israelis to express themselves in creative and constructive ways. Israelis have drawn pictures of Rabin in his honor and have written grafitti to express their hopes for peace. The local authorities have made no attempt to remove the grafitti and the words remain as a testament to the social and political conscious of the country. The Hebrew word above says, 'Nizkor' - We will remember.
Above is a picture of the ground in Rabin Square. Pay attention to the
white-colored blotches on the ground. Those blotches are candle wax. For
many days following the assassination, thousands of Israelis, especially
Israeli youth, held candlelit vigils for Rabin. When I visited Rabin
Square nine months after Rabin's assassination, there was still candle wax
everywhere, a testament to the extent of the vigils. The Square actually
appears to glisten because of the wax.
Below is a popular bumper sticker in Israel today which shows support
for Mr. Rabin and for the peace process. It says 'Shalom, chaver. -
Goodbye, friend.
This is a haunting photo. The bus pictured above is the number 18 bus line in Jerusalem, which was the victim of two suicide bombings by Hamas in March 1996 which claimed over 60 deaths and abrubtly halted the peace process. The bus, which travels thorughout crowded, commercial downtown Jerusamlem, is sitting in the exact spot where both bombings occur. I rode the number 18 while I was in Jerusalem, and I used public buses everyday, as most Israelis do.
Pictures of Israel: its land and
people