The marchers, organized by the Women in Green organization, protest what they call "political traffic jams" and extensive delays at various checkpoints all over Judea and Samaria.
Motorists at the Tunnel Road checkpoint on the Jerusalem-Gush Etzion, at the Hizme Checkpoint between Jerusalem and the Yesha communities to the north, and elsewhere have been forced over the past several weeks to suffer interminably long traffic jams at various hours of the day. The traffic is caused where Arab vehicles are checked for terrorists and explosives.
Rabbi Dov Lior, Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba, encouraged the marchers and told them, "The entire Land is our, and we must conquer it by marching." He said we must not fall into the slumber imposed upon us by the government echelons: "We must say the truth in an absolute manner, and not the way they portray and corrupt it."
Women in Green's Co-chairperson Nadia Matar, a resident of Efrat, addressed the crowd as well, and said, "Our first action in conquering the land is to re-conquer this road." She said afterwards that many drivers passing them by had honked in solidarity. "Our goal of the raising our heads and our spirit was achieved."
The protestors fear that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in planning for his convergence/withdrawal/expulsion plan, is trying to suffocate and choke off the Yesha residents in ghettos, behind walls, fences and checkpoints.
At the checkpoint on Highway 443, between Givat Ze'ev and Modiin, motorists are asked to show their IDF cards, and the same is true near Kalkilye. The Kalandia route, north of Jerusalem, is almost totally closed off to Jews, and the road to Maaleh Adumim often features long lines of traffic.
"By sitting quietly and not complaining," one protestor said, "we are cooperating with Olmert's 'stick them in ghettos' plan. His plan endangers not only the Yesha settlement enterprise, but the very existence of the entire State of Israel."
Matar told Arutz-7's Ruti Avraham that the march was decided upon because "the local leaders are lulling the public to sleep. They are dependent upon the national government for budgets and salaries, and they make sure that we won't make too much noise."
Gush Etzion Regional Council director Sha'ul Goldstein denied that the council is not dealing with the traffic problems. He said he has met innumerable times with army and police officers to this end. "There are many reasons for the traffic jams," he said, "and everything is recorded on video cameras. They are mainly caused by the merging traffic... 1,100 vehicles pass on this road an hour - a high figure even on a national scale."
Goldstein agreed that the fences and the talk of withdrawal contribute to the feeling of suffocation. However, in his opinion, the checkpoints and the delays on the road are not political, but are connected with construction work to widen the road to four lanes.
"I don't believe in demonstrations and power struggles with the police," Goldstein said, explaining that he prefers working behind-the-scenes and by persuasion. "We have to work to persuade the government to realize that it can reach its objectives without evacuating even one community."
The organizers of the march say they will next try a march on the Tekoa-Jerusalem highway, as well as other activities together with anti-expulsion groups in Asheklon, the Negev, and elsewhere.
Motorists at the Tunnel Road checkpoint on the Jerusalem-Gush Etzion, at the Hizme Checkpoint between Jerusalem and the Yesha communities to the north, and elsewhere have been forced over the past several weeks to suffer interminably long traffic jams at various hours of the day. The traffic is caused where Arab vehicles are checked for terrorists and explosives.
Rabbi Dov Lior, Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba, encouraged the marchers and told them, "The entire Land is our, and we must conquer it by marching." He said we must not fall into the slumber imposed upon us by the government echelons: "We must say the truth in an absolute manner, and not the way they portray and corrupt it."
Women in Green's Co-chairperson Nadia Matar, a resident of Efrat, addressed the crowd as well, and said, "Our first action in conquering the land is to re-conquer this road." She said afterwards that many drivers passing them by had honked in solidarity. "Our goal of the raising our heads and our spirit was achieved."
The protestors fear that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in planning for his convergence/withdrawal/expulsion plan, is trying to suffocate and choke off the Yesha residents in ghettos, behind walls, fences and checkpoints.
At the checkpoint on Highway 443, between Givat Ze'ev and Modiin, motorists are asked to show their IDF cards, and the same is true near Kalkilye. The Kalandia route, north of Jerusalem, is almost totally closed off to Jews, and the road to Maaleh Adumim often features long lines of traffic.
"By sitting quietly and not complaining," one protestor said, "we are cooperating with Olmert's 'stick them in ghettos' plan. His plan endangers not only the Yesha settlement enterprise, but the very existence of the entire State of Israel."
Matar told Arutz-7's Ruti Avraham that the march was decided upon because "the local leaders are lulling the public to sleep. They are dependent upon the national government for budgets and salaries, and they make sure that we won't make too much noise."
Gush Etzion Regional Council director Sha'ul Goldstein denied that the council is not dealing with the traffic problems. He said he has met innumerable times with army and police officers to this end. "There are many reasons for the traffic jams," he said, "and everything is recorded on video cameras. They are mainly caused by the merging traffic... 1,100 vehicles pass on this road an hour - a high figure even on a national scale."
Goldstein agreed that the fences and the talk of withdrawal contribute to the feeling of suffocation. However, in his opinion, the checkpoints and the delays on the road are not political, but are connected with construction work to widen the road to four lanes.
"I don't believe in demonstrations and power struggles with the police," Goldstein said, explaining that he prefers working behind-the-scenes and by persuasion. "We have to work to persuade the government to realize that it can reach its objectives without evacuating even one community."
The organizers of the march say they will next try a march on the Tekoa-Jerusalem highway, as well as other activities together with anti-expulsion groups in Asheklon, the Negev, and elsewhere.