A special solidarity Sabbath has been planned - on a few days' notice - in the central Gaza community of Netzarim. The town, with some 65 families, has been mentioned of late as a prime candidate for uprooting and dismantling, in the framework of unilateral gestures in the event that negotiations with the Palestinian Authority continue to flounder. Many hundreds of people have expressed their interest in taking part in the special Sabbath, and about 1,000 are expected show up.
Tzurit Yarchi of Netzarim talked about the Sabbath with Arutz-7 this morning:
"The purpose is to show that there is such a very large public that thinks differently [than those who talk about uprooting]. There are many who are convinced that the settlement enterprise is a manifestation of the Jewish people's desire to grasp onto its Land... The response has been simply unbelievable. When we first thought of doing this, only a few days ago, we thought, OK, we'll get a few teenagers, and they'll sleep on our couches, etc. But in fact, the response has been amazing: Dozens and hundreds of families, as well as hundreds of others, have called to ask about coming. We have used up every single spot in Netzarim to house them - classrooms, offices, etc. and so now we've started with tents... When we tell people that there's no more room left, they say, 'Nonsense, we'll just shove ourselves into some corner...' It appears as if people were just waiting for this occasion to show their solidarity with the Yesha [Judea, Samaria and Gaza] enterprise in general, and Netzarim in particular..."
A commercial for the Netzarim Sabbath was broadcast several times on Voice of Israel radio, until it was stopped today in a sudden and unexplained decision. A Yesha Council spokesman said that if the ad is not aired, the Council is likely to turn to the Supreme Court. The Court recently ruled that an infomercial for the Geneva understandings must be broadcast.
"The army is helping us with the arrangements of getting everyone here," Ms. Yarchi said, "with convoys and the like. They are just amazed at the amount of people planning to come..." She said that it won't be boring: "People don't realize that you can walk around here for a whole Shabbat... There will also be classes and discussions on the importance of building up the Land, etc."
Tzurit Yarchi of Netzarim talked about the Sabbath with Arutz-7 this morning:
"The purpose is to show that there is such a very large public that thinks differently [than those who talk about uprooting]. There are many who are convinced that the settlement enterprise is a manifestation of the Jewish people's desire to grasp onto its Land... The response has been simply unbelievable. When we first thought of doing this, only a few days ago, we thought, OK, we'll get a few teenagers, and they'll sleep on our couches, etc. But in fact, the response has been amazing: Dozens and hundreds of families, as well as hundreds of others, have called to ask about coming. We have used up every single spot in Netzarim to house them - classrooms, offices, etc. and so now we've started with tents... When we tell people that there's no more room left, they say, 'Nonsense, we'll just shove ourselves into some corner...' It appears as if people were just waiting for this occasion to show their solidarity with the Yesha [Judea, Samaria and Gaza] enterprise in general, and Netzarim in particular..."
A commercial for the Netzarim Sabbath was broadcast several times on Voice of Israel radio, until it was stopped today in a sudden and unexplained decision. A Yesha Council spokesman said that if the ad is not aired, the Council is likely to turn to the Supreme Court. The Court recently ruled that an infomercial for the Geneva understandings must be broadcast.
"The army is helping us with the arrangements of getting everyone here," Ms. Yarchi said, "with convoys and the like. They are just amazed at the amount of people planning to come..." She said that it won't be boring: "People don't realize that you can walk around here for a whole Shabbat... There will also be classes and discussions on the importance of building up the Land, etc."