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Tens of thousands of opponents to Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip gathered for a prayer service at the Western Wall on Wednesday. (AP)
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| By Jerusalem Newswire August 11, 2005 |
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In one of the largest prayer gatherings ever to be held at the Temple Mount, multitudes poured into Jerusalem's Old City Wednesday to pray for a stop to the implementation of the disengagement plan. The event was by far the largest of its kind since the land-for-peace process began at Madrid more than 15 years ago. It is clear from the turnout that a significant number of Israelis believe the plan can still be stopped.
The plan to forcefully drive thousands of Jews out of their homes in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria is the brainchild of the Sharon government and is set to be carried out starting August 15.
Although Israelis supporting the plan -- among them left-wing government officials and ultra-left journalists -- have declared the expulsions a "done deal," those at Wednesday's rally proclaimed their belief that God could still intervene.
Three thousand years ago, Israel's King Solomon stood on the Temple Mount and petitioned the Lord to hear the prayers of all who would pray facing in that direction. Down the millennia since then, millions of Jews have made their way to God's Holy Hill to make their petitions known to the Almighty.
Estimates of the numbers attending Wednesday's rally varied, with Arutz 7 reporting more than a quarter of a million, opponents saying 50,000, and police -- who traditionally downplay figures at anti-government events -- guessing around 70,000.
Jerusalem Newswire can report that the event was by far the largest of its kind since the land-for-peace process began at Madrid more than 15 years ago.
Police battled in vain to prevent traffic snarl ups as hundreds of buses from around this small country entered the capital and unloaded their passengers as close as they could to the Old City.
As the early evening light painted the ancient walls gold, winding streams of people made their way up the slopes of Mount Zion, flowing in through the Zion and Dung gates and filling all access routes to the Temple Mount in a swaying sea of humanity.
Here and there, groups burst out in spontaneous songs of support for the threatened Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria
Unable to draw nearer to Israel's holiest site, many lined parts of the city's southern battlements, while others massed on rooftops overlooking the plaza at the Western Wall.
They came, men and women, children and babies, on foot, on crutches, in wheelchairs, in pushchairs, many sporting the trademark bright orange anti-disengagement shirts and ribbons; all gathering, in their words, "to cry out to their Father in heaven" to step in and prevent next week's expulsion of thousands of Jews from their homes.
Cry out they did, their voices rising to the skies over the Mount of Olives as they sang and recited, swaying in prayer and emotion.
In a rare show of unity, rabbis from different ultra-orthodox groups together with those representing national religious parties stood together, taking turns to read or lead in prayer.
While men and women have to pray separately in the area immediately before the Wall, no such segregation was possible for the masses that kept arriving, even as the peaceful prayer time came to an end.
Late into the night, the sounds of bus horns and the amplified voices of police officials trying to route the worshippers back home filled the city air.
The Yesha Council, which helped organize the event, has announced a massive anti-disengagement protest to take place in Tel Aviv Thursday evening, and a series of other events, including mass marches on Gush Katif and more prayer rallies at the Temple Mount in the coming days.
In related news, check out: Jews in unision.
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