(Minghui.org) A group of people stood quietly in front of the Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv in silent protest on the afternoon of July 20, 2026. About 10 minutes after their protest began, the Chinese flag outside the embassy was taken down and not put back up. They said this was the first time they saw the flag lowered during a protest in all their years in front of the embassy.
These peaceful protesters were Israeli Falun Dafa practitioners, who held similar protests before the embassy in July every year to mark the anniversary of the persecution of their faith. Twenty-seven years ago in 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a crackdown against Falun Dafa on July 20 after it estimated that the number of practitioners far exceeded Party membership. The regime mobilized the full state apparatus to target tens of millions of practitioners. The activity in Tel Aviv aimed to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution.
Falun Dafa practitioners hold a peaceful protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv on July 20, 2026. (Minghui.org)
As evening fell, the peaceful gathering continued with a candlelight vigil to commemorate practitioners who lost their lives in the persecution and to call for an immediate end to it.
Practitioners hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate those who lost their lives in the persecution and call for it to end. (Minghui.org)
Do Not Be Silent
Six Israeli public figures, academics, and religious leaders sent messages of support. Passersby also stopped to learn more, asked what they could do to help, and expressed appreciation for the practitioners’ peaceful efforts.
Professor Yael Shemesh, associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Bar-Ilan University, described the event as “a quiet protest - but not silence.”
“This protest is quiet, but it refuses to accept silence and suppression,” she wrote. “We should not accept the persecution of people because of their faith, and we must not look away when they are deprived of their freedom, physical integrity, and even their lives.”
She added, “We may not always be able to stop injustice immediately, but we are never exempt from the duty to oppose it.”
Oz Guterman, senior lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, addressed the danger of indifference. “How do we confront evil’s most powerful weapon—indifference?” he wrote. “We do so with patience, love, and steadfast commitment to the truth.”
He added, “Slowly, more and more people come to see the evil and stop being indifferent to it. Slowly, steadfast commitment to the truth prevails.”
Former Minister: Falun Dafa Brings Universal Values
Natan Sharansky, a former Israeli minister who was a Soviet dissident, expressed his support for the practitioners’ efforts. “The principles on which Falun Dafa is based—Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance—are universal values shared by all people,” he wrote. “When people live according to these principles, society becomes better and more humane.”
He also commended those who are working to bring the persecution to an end and raise public awareness of what Falun Dafa practitioners continue to face in China.
Professor: Western Nations Have a Moral Duty to Stop the Persecution
Prof. Michael Elkin of the Department of Computer Science at Ben-Gurion University called on democratic societies to take responsibility. “Western nations have a moral duty to work toward bringing this regime to an end—or, at least, to exert meaningful pressure on it to protect and support those it persecutes,” he wrote.
NGO Chairman: “We Cannot Remain Silent”
Michael Puah, chairman of the “Choosing Family” organization, said the Jewish people have a particular moral responsibility to speak out against systematic persecution.
“As members of the Jewish people, who experienced what can happen when the world remains silent in the face of systematic persecution, we cannot remain silent in the face of this injustice,” he wrote.
“Our moral duty is to speak out clearly, to demand a genuine investigation, and to refuse to accept an evil regime anywhere in the world.”
Rabbi: We Must Protest Until the Persecution Ends
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of Ateret Yerushalayim Yeshiva, emphasized in a video message the importance of continuing to speak out, even when change is not immediate.
“We must protest. Even if it does not immediately stop the persecution, it helps expose it and opens people’s hearts to listen,” he said. “We must protest again and again—ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times – until this injustice against good people is brought to an end.”
Passersby Ask What They Can Do to Help
A couple stopped to speak with a practitioner holding a poster bearing a photograph of Gao Rongrong, a female Falun Dafa practitioner who was tortured to death at the age of 37.
They asked what they could do to help, and both signed a petition to condemn the CCP’s persecution and call on the world’s governments to help end it.
A passerby signs the petition calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. (Minghui.org)
Another passerby was deeply moved by the candlelight vigil. He said that seeing the practitioners sitting together in unity, dressed in yellow and holding candles, was “beautiful, moving, and visually striking.”
Informational Event in Tel Aviv’s Chinatown
As part of the activities marking 27 years of persecution since July 20, 1999, practitioners held an informational event two days prior on Saturday, July 18, in Tel Aviv’s Chinatown.
Practitioners displayed information about Falun Dafa and the persecution while speaking with people in the area. Practitioners noticed that Chinese passersby were friendlier and more receptive than during similar activities in previous years. Some stopped, listened, and interacted with practitioners.
Practitioners hold an activity to raise awareness of the 27-year persecution in Tel Aviv’s Chinatown on Saturday, July 18. (Minghui.org)
During the activity, a practitioner read an extended message in Chinese, allowing Chinese passersby to hear the facts clearly and directly in their mother tongue. Her message conveyed a heartfelt appeal:
“We are here of our own free will because we genuinely care about your future. We do not seek political power, money, or recognition. Falun Dafa teaches us to be considerate and live by Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. We sincerely hope that you will choose a bright and beautiful future for yourselves and your families.”
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Category: July 20 Events
