Approximately 3,000 land of Israel activists protested in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa on Tuesday in advance of United States President George Bush’s upcoming visit to Israel. The activists called to build in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem despite US pressure to freeze Jewish construction in the area as part of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.
Following the protest, activists traveled to various locations in Judea and Samaria, where they plan to strengthen several new communities that were built in recent months and build two new towns. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently announced that he would freeze Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, and that all new building projects in the area would require his personal approval. The PA has demanded that Israel stop building in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, and destroy existing communities in order to make the area free of Jews prior to the creation of a PA state.