70 chapter two of bombings and shelling from the land, air and sea causing unprecedented damage and injury to the Palestinian civilian population.49 Israel’s onslaught in Gaza raised the international profile of the plight of the Palestinian people and inspired a massive outburst of global solidarity. Millions of people around the world expressed their outrage through mass demonstrations, sit-ins, occupations, writing campaigns, media statements, and various other actions. Similar to the countless voices on the streets of cities around the world, hundreds of Palestinian citizens of Israel came out into the streets to demonstrate against the Israeli military operation and demand its cessation. Responding to these protests, the police and the General Security Services (GSS), deemed them a threat to the security of the state and collaborated with the judiciary and some Israeli academic institutions to systematically suppress political expression via arrest and detention. Hundreds of protesters were arrested for their mere presence at these gatherings and were sanctioned en masse by the judiciary. Indictments made by the State prosecutor’s office were on the grounds of “participating in prohibited gatherings, disturbing the peace and attacking a police officer,” and even argued that “the protests are detrimental to the public morale.” Similar to the treatment of demonstrators during the October 2000 protests, the judicial courts ignored the fundamental principle of individual examination in criminal cases and resorted to the mass arrest of suspects. At the same time, dozens of police units were invited to academic institutions such as Haifa University to violently disperse political initiatives and vigils organized by Arab students on university campuses. In the end, over 830 demonstrators were arrested 49 Israel violated its ceasefire with the Palestinian political organization Hamas on November 4, 2008 and launched ‘Operation Cast Lead’ between December 27, 2008 to January 28, 2009. Its intense bombardment of Gaza resulted in around 1,400 Palestinian deaths (over one-fifth of whom were children) and thirteen Israeli deaths – all along with intense destruction of homes and other infrastructure in Gaza as well as brutal violations of Palestinian human rights. Four of the 13 Israeli casualties were a result of friendly fire. As recently as November 4, 2012, Israel was once again the party to break the ceasefire with Hamas and went on to launch ‘Operation Pillar of Defence’ in the Gaza Strip. Between November 14 to 21, 2012, bombardment of Gaza resulted in over 150 Palestinian deaths (again, over one-fifth of these deaths were children), with 1000 Palestinian injuries, and with three Israeli casualties. See United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Council, Twelfth Session, Human Rights in Palestine and other Occupied Arab Territories: Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, (A/HRC/12/48), September 25, 2009, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/12session/A-HRC-12-48.pdf; Palestinian Center for Human Rights, “Israeli Offensive on Gaza Stopped Following 8 Days of Attacks,” Press Release, November 22, 2012, http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index .php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9044:israeli-offensive-on-gaza-stopped -­following-8-days-of-attacks-&catid=36:pchrpressreleases&Itemid=194.