Residents of the eastern Gush Etzion communities of Eldad, Nokdim, and Tekoa are enraged at the army\'s decision to open a road that was closed to Arab traffic two months ago following the murder of Nokdim mother Sarit Amrani. The residents blocked the main road from Efrat to Arab traffic this morning, and said they hope to keep the blockade in place until the decision is rescinded. The road was opened as a gesture to Arabs in honor of the holy Moslem month of Ramadan. \"This was a political decision,\" one protestor said, \"that takes no account of the dangerous security situation here.\" The blockade is situated precisely at the spot where 25-year-old Sarit, a mother of three, was murdered by terrorists shooting from a passing car who escaped into Arafat\'s PA-controlled territory.
It has also been learned that the army plans to allow unrestricted Arab traffic on the main Jerusalem-Gush Etzion highway in the coming days.
Another security protest took place in Gush Katif today, where residents refuse to allow the construction of an overpass. The bridge is to be placed on a main road where north-south Jewish traffic intersects with east-west Arab traffic; when the two come together, it is the Arab traffic that is generally held up, for security considerations. The proposed solution, however, is infinitely worse, say the residents. They maintain that the bridge is not only too narrow, but also renders them perfect targets for carbombs and shooting attacks. \"The delays that the Arabs suffer are a result of the security problem that they themselves caused,\" say the residents. \"Our lives come before their convenience.\"
Yet a third protest occurred outside the Prime Minister\'s Office today; see next article.
It has also been learned that the army plans to allow unrestricted Arab traffic on the main Jerusalem-Gush Etzion highway in the coming days.
Another security protest took place in Gush Katif today, where residents refuse to allow the construction of an overpass. The bridge is to be placed on a main road where north-south Jewish traffic intersects with east-west Arab traffic; when the two come together, it is the Arab traffic that is generally held up, for security considerations. The proposed solution, however, is infinitely worse, say the residents. They maintain that the bridge is not only too narrow, but also renders them perfect targets for carbombs and shooting attacks. \"The delays that the Arabs suffer are a result of the security problem that they themselves caused,\" say the residents. \"Our lives come before their convenience.\"
Yet a third protest occurred outside the Prime Minister\'s Office today; see next article.