The young man was racing down the mountain slope jumping over rocks and thorns in his way. Two young policemen only a few meters away were chasing. He had just broken out of the group of demonstrators waiting on the top of the mountain surrounded by policemen only to join those standing in proximity to the house at the outpost.
According to their tags, it seemed like the policemen were in an officers' training course. A little further back, one could have noticed the police officer who was in command of the two young ones closing the gap at a slower pace.
In a daring attempt to evade the policemen, the young man leaped from the rock face to the path carved into the mountainside. The two policemen leaped right after him, managing to grab him in mid-air and pin him down to the ground as they landed.
The three were panting heavily.
"You didn't expect we'd catch you, did ya'?" said the officer who had come close in the meantime.
"Well done," said the young man still lying on his back, breathing heavily.
"That was quite a crazy leap you took," said one of the policemen.
"OK, up you go," said the officer, not succeeding to hide a small smile as the two policemen tried to get the man on his feet.
"Hold on man, give me a few more seconds to rest."
The policemen looked at the officer, who nodded, "Give him a few more seconds."
"OK buddy, time to go back up." The two young policemen helped the man up while escorting him, one from each side. The young man rapped his arms around the policemen and the four started marching back up the hill. Pillars of smoke from the burned land surrounding the outpost towered behind them in the distance.
When there was violence on the hill, it was on the part of the policemen who used clubs and horses. In some cases, policemen forcefully removed women in contradiction to regulations. Some of these cases were documented by my camera.
What I didn't find on the hill of Mitzpeh Yizhar was hate.
The resistance of the residents of Yizhar and their supporters should be commended. The youngsters who lay in front of the police horses holding on to each other and singing "Am Yisrael Chai" can serve as examples of passive resistance. The sight of teenagers returning time after time in torn shirts to face the army bulldozers, without laying a hand on the policemen, should be more than a source for mathematical calculations of how many policemen it would take to evacuate Gush Katif. It should also be a source of pride and comfort, even for their political foes.
Examining this protest on a national level proves that even those considered most extreme and radical from the Right have clear and defined red lines. They are not motivated by hate for the government or for the Left, but by their love for the land of their ancestors.
At the same time, the settlers should take comfort and hope from the conduct of the police who, in most cases, did their best to avoid violence.
There was more than one instance in which a policeman was about to strike a stubborn protester, but was left with his hand hanging in the air due to the outburst of rage and wonder from the other demonstrators: "Hey, officer, cut it out!"; "No hitting!" As if it were a basketball game. I have also seen many cases in which one policeman stopped a comrade who seemed to be losing control or patience.
It is unrealistic on the side of the protestors to expect the police to refuse their orders and it would be unfair to condemn them for not doing so. The situation is too complex to have simple solutions.
"The poor policemen," said Rabbi Shlomo Aviner of Beit El to the crowd of protesters who had gathered near the soon-to-be-evacuated house, "they are so unfortunate to have gotten these orders."
I think that most policemen would agree.
"It is like a Hollywood movie," said the photographer near me as we started walking away from the ruined structure at the end of the day, "with a beginning a middle and an end."
"More like a Washington production," I thought to myself.
Expect the sequels soon.
According to their tags, it seemed like the policemen were in an officers' training course. A little further back, one could have noticed the police officer who was in command of the two young ones closing the gap at a slower pace.
In a daring attempt to evade the policemen, the young man leaped from the rock face to the path carved into the mountainside. The two policemen leaped right after him, managing to grab him in mid-air and pin him down to the ground as they landed.
The three were panting heavily.
"You didn't expect we'd catch you, did ya'?" said the officer who had come close in the meantime.
"Well done," said the young man still lying on his back, breathing heavily.
"That was quite a crazy leap you took," said one of the policemen.
"OK, up you go," said the officer, not succeeding to hide a small smile as the two policemen tried to get the man on his feet.
"Hold on man, give me a few more seconds to rest."
The policemen looked at the officer, who nodded, "Give him a few more seconds."
"OK buddy, time to go back up." The two young policemen helped the man up while escorting him, one from each side. The young man rapped his arms around the policemen and the four started marching back up the hill. Pillars of smoke from the burned land surrounding the outpost towered behind them in the distance.
When there was violence on the hill, it was on the part of the policemen who used clubs and horses. In some cases, policemen forcefully removed women in contradiction to regulations. Some of these cases were documented by my camera.
What I didn't find on the hill of Mitzpeh Yizhar was hate.
The resistance of the residents of Yizhar and their supporters should be commended. The youngsters who lay in front of the police horses holding on to each other and singing "Am Yisrael Chai" can serve as examples of passive resistance. The sight of teenagers returning time after time in torn shirts to face the army bulldozers, without laying a hand on the policemen, should be more than a source for mathematical calculations of how many policemen it would take to evacuate Gush Katif. It should also be a source of pride and comfort, even for their political foes.
Examining this protest on a national level proves that even those considered most extreme and radical from the Right have clear and defined red lines. They are not motivated by hate for the government or for the Left, but by their love for the land of their ancestors.
At the same time, the settlers should take comfort and hope from the conduct of the police who, in most cases, did their best to avoid violence.
There was more than one instance in which a policeman was about to strike a stubborn protester, but was left with his hand hanging in the air due to the outburst of rage and wonder from the other demonstrators: "Hey, officer, cut it out!"; "No hitting!" As if it were a basketball game. I have also seen many cases in which one policeman stopped a comrade who seemed to be losing control or patience.
It is unrealistic on the side of the protestors to expect the police to refuse their orders and it would be unfair to condemn them for not doing so. The situation is too complex to have simple solutions.
"The poor policemen," said Rabbi Shlomo Aviner of Beit El to the crowd of protesters who had gathered near the soon-to-be-evacuated house, "they are so unfortunate to have gotten these orders."
I think that most policemen would agree.
"It is like a Hollywood movie," said the photographer near me as we started walking away from the ruined structure at the end of the day, "with a beginning a middle and an end."
"More like a Washington production," I thought to myself.
Expect the sequels soon.