Ami Ayalon

Ami Ayalon is an Israeli former admiral and today, a peace activists.

Ayalon served as an commander of the Israeli Navy and reached the rank of admiral. He later served as the head of the Shin Bet - Israel's internal security service.

On June 25, 2003, Ayalon launched together with Palestinian professor Sari Nusseibeh a peace initiative called "The National Census". The initiative goal is to collect as many signatures of Israelis and Palestinians as possible for the peace plan guidlines of two state solution without right of return to Palestinian refugees. See main article: The People's Voice.

Though Ayalon promotes traditional left wing ideas, he insists he is not a part of the Israeli left wing, and spurns the Israeli peace camp for their allienation and hostility toward the Israeli public and a specially toward the settlers. Ayalon manage to outrage the many left wings activists when he said that only Ariel Sharon and the Likud could bring peace.

He took part in "Mate ha-Rov" demonstration for support the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and carried out a very critical speech against the Israeli peace camp. He said:

We, who protest here, do not succeeded to flow into the majority of the people. The majority {"Ha-Rov" הרוב in Hebrew} is silent and therefore does not influence. I will tell you why the majority is not here. They are not here because we didn't managed to settle in the hearts { להתנחל בלבבות, orginaly a phrase invented by the settlers} of this true majority, who makes the difference. We didn't managed to talk and perhaps we didn't even wanted to. We turned the settlers of Yesha into enemies and in lordship manner we banished them outside the fence. We'll only succeed when the grief of the evacuees will overcome the joyous cry of the evacuaters. We claimed the desire to peace solely as our own. {Therefore} The majority sits at home and is quiet, although he wants out of Gaza the same that we do. The majority doesn't care, and shouldn't care, who's the one who will sign the accord to end the {Israeli-Palestinian} conflict. In order to get out of Gaza, the majority in the people must stop to be silent.

Note: The speech was originally conveyed in Hebrew. Translators' comments are in {} brackets. [1]