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Israelis wave orange ribbons in opposition to Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements, at the Bar Ilan Junction outside of Tel Aviv. (AP)
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| By israelinsider staff and partners June 27, 2005 |
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They lined major highways throughout Israel to protest Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements this summer.
At the main entrance to Jerusalem, cars pulled over to the side of the highway as hundreds of people held banners reading "Stopn -- Think Again" and "Orange Will Win."
Pullout opponents have adopted the color orange for their protests, and many of the demonstrators wore orange hats and waved orange streamers.
Some cars slowed down and honked in solidarity. A large contingent of riot police was on hand, but no confrontations were reported, and disruption to traffic was minimum.
With the pullout approaching, opponents of the plan have increasingly stepped up their protests, snarling traffic at busy intersections on several occasions in recent weeks. Avi Zelba, a police spokesman, said thousands of police were to be mobilized Monday to minimize disruptions.
The Yesha Settlers Council, which was organizing the protest, said it expected 100,000 demonstrators to line the sides of major arteries, but that the intent was not to block traffic.
But it acknowledged that past protests, in which activists blocked roads with burning tires, have caused major traffic jams. It blamed rogue groups and individuals for the disruptions. In the Tel Aviv suburb of Raanana, police located a stash of tires that they suspect were amassed ahead of the protest.
"I'm afraid it won't be the only stash of tires that will be found," Zelba said.
The protest, which included demonstrators lining the road from the entrance to Jerusalem to the parliament building a kilometer (half a mile) away, was scheduled to last just 15 minutes, beginning at the evening rush hour, but after 25 minutes it was still going on.
Jerusalem police chief Ilan Franco told Channel Two TV that police would be flexible in ticketing cars stopped illegally.
"There are very many vehicles stopped at the sides of the roads, many pedestrians standing at junctions. There are no blockages, no unusual disruption to traffic. At the moment there is no reason for us to actively intervene," he said.
Settlers have protested the pullout since it was announced more than a year ago, and have threatened to bring in reinforcements to try to thwart it.
On Sunday, the military knocked down abandoned buildings on the Gaza coast, acting on reports that pullout opponents had planned to move into the structures to reinforce resistance.
Overnight, several dozen youths from Gaza settlements and towns in Israel set up a make-shift tent on the rubble, and occupied an abandoned Palestinian building nearby.
Settler Arik Yitzhaki said settlers planned to build three tent cities in the area, and to bring in thousands of supporters to bolster the withdrawal resistance. Yitzhaki said settlers have already bought thousands of tents and provisions in preparation for the resistance.
The army declined to comment on the outpost, or say whether the military planned to evacuate the youths there. But soldiers were at the site Monday.
One of the youths, who would identify himself only as 18-year-old Shmuel from Jerusalem, said, "If they demolish houses to prevent Jewish settlement, then we will occupy Palestinian houses that are bigger and better."
The demolition operation Sunday laid bare the problems Israeli authorities expect once the withdrawal begins.
Settlers -- most of them Orthodox Jewish teens -- shouted catcalls at soldiers, chanted, "Jews don't expel Jews," and climbed on and under bulldozers to try to block them. Soldiers dragged them out one at a time. Neither side resorted to arms or real violence, and the military said 10 protesters and 10 troops were injured, none of them seriously.
Five protesters were arrested, and a soldier was disarmed and taken away after shouting his support for the demonstrators, the military said.
Security officials have warned that during the actual evacuation, extremist settlers could open fire, and the military might be forced to use live fire to complete the pullout. They are also worried that some soldiers opposed to the withdrawal will disobey orders to evacuate settlers.
The army is also concerned about Palestinian attacks, though Palestinian officials have pledged to maintain calm during the operation.
Still, Palestinian attacks have continued. Islamic Jihad militants said they fired six homemade rockets on two settlements Monday morning, in response to Israeli threats to target Islamic Jihad leaders. The Israeli army reported three mortar attacks on Gaza settlements, and no injuries.
The AP contributed to this report.
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