A petition (in both Hebrew and English) to Prime Minister Sharon can be signed on the Katif.net website. The petition calls upon Sharon to rescind his plan and all its elements, which include a unilateral retreat from Gaza, the expulsion of nearly 8,000 Jews from their homes, and the transfer of the area to terrorists.
Sgt. Amir Zimmerman, who was killed yesterday in a clash with terrorists, was buried today in his hometown of Kfar Monash, just east of Netanya. It was reported today that army presumptions that the terrorists had tunneled under the Gaza fence were inaccurate, and that they had in fact climbed over the fence. Their goal was to sneak out of Gaza via Erez and perpetrate a mass attack.
Zimmerman's father said, "The fence around Gaza is sufficient protection; let's get all of our forces out of Gaza already, and may my son be the last casualty there." As reported, however, the fence did not provide the necessary protection, and in fact the terrorists were on their way to the Yad Mordechai highway, south of Ashkelon, where they planned to open fire at passing motorists.
Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz instructed IDF officers in Gaza this week not to approve any further construction or expansion plans in the Jewish communities there. Mofaz has become one of the proponents of a retreat from Gaza, in contrast to many IDF officers who feel that it will encourage further terrorism.
Moti Sender, a resident of Gush Katif and designer of www.Katif.net, noted that the entire withdrawal plan appears to have been formulated in a backwards manner. "Even after yesterday's attack," he noted, "Sharon and Mofaz say they want to keep the Erez Crossing open, so that Arabs from Gaza can continue to enter pre-1967 Israel. In addition, there is talk about giving Egypt control of the entrances to southern Gaza - the same Egypt that does absolutely nothing to stop the smuggling of arms and terrorists from Egypt into Gaza." It has also been noted that this is the same Egypt with whom Israel signed a peace agreement 20 years ago, keeping the Egyptians far away from Gaza.
Sgt. Amir Zimmerman, who was killed yesterday in a clash with terrorists, was buried today in his hometown of Kfar Monash, just east of Netanya. It was reported today that army presumptions that the terrorists had tunneled under the Gaza fence were inaccurate, and that they had in fact climbed over the fence. Their goal was to sneak out of Gaza via Erez and perpetrate a mass attack.
Zimmerman's father said, "The fence around Gaza is sufficient protection; let's get all of our forces out of Gaza already, and may my son be the last casualty there." As reported, however, the fence did not provide the necessary protection, and in fact the terrorists were on their way to the Yad Mordechai highway, south of Ashkelon, where they planned to open fire at passing motorists.
Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz instructed IDF officers in Gaza this week not to approve any further construction or expansion plans in the Jewish communities there. Mofaz has become one of the proponents of a retreat from Gaza, in contrast to many IDF officers who feel that it will encourage further terrorism.
Moti Sender, a resident of Gush Katif and designer of www.Katif.net, noted that the entire withdrawal plan appears to have been formulated in a backwards manner. "Even after yesterday's attack," he noted, "Sharon and Mofaz say they want to keep the Erez Crossing open, so that Arabs from Gaza can continue to enter pre-1967 Israel. In addition, there is talk about giving Egypt control of the entrances to southern Gaza - the same Egypt that does absolutely nothing to stop the smuggling of arms and terrorists from Egypt into Gaza." It has also been noted that this is the same Egypt with whom Israel signed a peace agreement 20 years ago, keeping the Egyptians far away from Gaza.