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Female protesters face young soldiers at Kfar Maimon. (AP)
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| By Reuven Koret July 21, 2005 |
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| Earlier in the day, many thousands of protesters gathered on the lawns of this farming community. (AP) |
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Hundreds of anti-expulsion protesters -- a small fraction of the thousands within -- have marched out of the village of Kfar Maimon, led by rabbis carrying torah scrolls, but most remain within the fences. 20,000 police and soldiers still surround the village, trying to prevent marchers from leaving and heading towards the besieged Jewish communities of Gaza, hoping that they are heading home. Helicopters hover overhead. Talks between protesters and police did not produce results. Minister Ehud Olmert had vowed demonstrators will move outside "not one meter."
Under a nearly full moon on a hot steamy night in Israel's western Negev desert, a few miles from the Gaza Strip, hundreds of demonstrators marched out of this small farming community. Police hope they are heading home, but marchers say they are marching to the besieged settlement bloc of Gush Katif. There they hope to strengthen the residents and to make more difficult their planned evacuation in less than one month.
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Police demanded documents, which the passengers refused to present. The young protesters disembarked and began marching toward the Kissufim Crossing, singing songs.
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The political echelon and security forces under their command have so far indicated no willingness to allow any such march, although in recent hours there has been talk that the police would be willing to allow a "symbolic" procession of some kinds by a small delegation. The protesters, however, appear unwilling to give up on their goal of a mass march.
Security personnel initially tried to prevent the protesters from leaving the town and heading to Gaza. At the moment, marchers are not attempting to break through police barriers as they did Tuesday night outside of Kfar Maimon. ynet reports that the protesters are singing songs and chanting anti-pullout slogans. Rabbis and settler leaders are calling on them to march forward toward Gush Katif.
Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra arrived at Kfar Maimon to view the situation with his own eyes, ynet reported. "The settler leaders never came to me and if they did, the situation would not have been different. We would have not allowed the march to Gush Katif and Kissufim," he said.
A protester in Kfar Maimn reported that Rabbi Benyamin Elon, A Knesset Member from the National Union party, suggested that the marchers march around the town of Kfar Maimon, echoing the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho. At this time the direction and destination of the procession remains unclear, although leaders of the protest movement are reported urging those remaining in Kfar Maimon to leave and join the march.
It appears now that at least some of those exiting from Kfar Maimon have in fact arrived at the Karney crossing, another passage into Gaza, where they demonstrated at the army post there. Several of the demonstrators were arrested, Channel Two reported at midnight.
A police proposal to provide protesters with free bus rides to the nearby city of Beersheva was greeted with a chorus of boos. The vast majority of demonstrators remain in Kfar Maimon.
A late report from ynet indicates that a busload of young demonstrators was detained at a roadblock near the Gama intersection. Police demanded documents, which the passengers refused to present. The young protesters disembarked and began marching toward the Kissufim Crossing, singing songs.
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