With less than three weeks to go before the start of the Gaza withdrawal, the anti-withdrawal campaign continues. Leaders of the Yesha Council (Council of Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza district) announced they are planning three marches next week heading in the direction of Gush Katif, the Israeli enclave in the Gaza Strip, reports the Israeli daily Haaretz.
Last week anti-withdrawal protesters rallied in Kfar Maimon, a few miles from the Gaza Strip, attempting to march in the direction of Gush Katif. Over 20,000 policemen and soldiers were mobilized in order to stop the protesters from entering Gush Katif. The security forces do not want people going in to Gush Katif, fearing they will hamper the planned withdrawal.
“We will do whatever we can to prevent the expulsion, except for the use of violence,” said Chairman of the Yesha Council, Ben-Tzion Lieberman. However, leaders of the Yesha Council added they will not coordinate their moves with the police. “They will hear of it in the media,” they said.
The government, on its part, says it sees signs of acceptance from the citizens of Gush Katif. In an interview he gave to Haaretz, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said he hopes the withdrawal will be completed in two to three weeks. Mofaz estimated that by August 15 – the day scheduled for the beginning of the withdrawal – at least half the citizens of Gush Katif will already have left their homes.