I've always been skeptical about demonstrations, being in one together with a handful of people, shouting how bad the world is, always felt somewhat futile, even ridiculous, depends on what was shouted, who was shouting, where was the press and who gives a fuck anyway.
However, looking from a different angle at this involvement issue one might say that If out of every 100 demonstrations one will make a change, out of 1000 letters one will be read, out of 1,000,000 people one will be the leader that will create a revolution, than it's not all in vain. What are two hours a week to sacrifice for something you believe in? Sometimes the impact is hidden, a latent process only visible post factum. Sometimes the interesting things happen in the edges of the demonstration, behind the commotion. In the way people meet, discuss and exchange ideas, insults or telephone numbers.

On Friday, 200 people equipped with shovels and other digging tools came to the entrance of the small Palestinian village Rantis, with an intent of opening the improvised blockades to the entrance of the village made by the Israeli army, like in many other Palestinian villages and towns.
The Israeli government and army called this closing down - "crowning" in the beginning until realizing the irony and settling for the less attractive words "closure" and "siege".
Whatever you call this group punishment, the results are the same, people can't go out of their homes, there's no work, no studies, food and medicines are running out, faster in the poor areas of course, thus creating hunger, desperation and the deterioration of a whole "normal" life's structure.

Unlike symbolic demonstrations or actions, this one was surprisingly effective, since the people were'nt discouraged after having their tools confiscated immediately by the army.
It was even amazing realizing that after two hours, the two big blocks, done by heavy machinery, were straightened down by people using nothing but their bare hands.

Even while imagining that these blocks would be restored soon, the feeling wasn't of a useless action, not because of the reopening of the way to the village, even for a day, but because of the occurrence during the action. It was inspiring seeing the intermediate meeting and dialogue, smiles of trust and love between the diggers/demonstrators and the inhabitants of the village, who came forward to see an alternative action done by Israelis in the border between their village and the close-by Israeli settlement.

The respect, the kind of quiet and polite dialogue, which stood in complete contrast to the reaction of the settlers who came to express their disgust with the "traitors", is the fuel people here, Israelis and Palestinians, need so badly in order to maintain the faith, if there is any left.