Army Radio reported that 170 schools were locked, while an announcement by those claiming to have organized the campaign says 500. Most of the school gates were opened within a short time, with the help of local fire departments or handymen in the area, but not before thousands of teachers and students waiting outside read the following poster hung on each school entrance:
One of the organizers told an Arutz-7 correspondent, "This act of civil disobedience, and those that will follow, are now instead of the road-blockings, which succeeded in having the police allocate large forces to the highways."
While some citizens complain that the protestors are criminally trying to close down the country, others liken these complaints to those who ask their neighbor who is being mugged not to scream so loud because it's disturbing their sleep. "It can't be that Gush Katif and the northern Shomron will be destroyed to the foundations, while those in Tel Aviv feel nothing," one of the latter said.
It's not educational to close schools - true. But it's very not educational to close forever schools and all educational schools for thousands of children and youths in Gush Katif and northern Shomron!
It's very not educational to raze these schools to the ground and to give them over to the terrorists who bombard them with Kassams and rockets every day!
And it's not at all educational to ignore that which is liable to happen to our brothers and to us, here in this very land!
For this is not the way to educate to responsibility and caring,
this is not the way to teach Judaism and Jewish tradition,
this is not the way to teach love of the nation and the land,
this is not the way to teach true Zionism!
For Sharon's plan of destruction and expulsion is against all Jewish and humanistic values that we teach! It is a danger - a danger to unity within Israel, to the security of the State of Israel, a danger to the Israel Defense Forces, a danger to the Torah, and a danger to our right to the Land of Israel!
Whoever has a Jewish heart cannot be silent.
Join us in the public struggle, to stop the State and to topple the government.
Sharon is against the people! The people are against Sharon!
The poster that was hung on the school gates
One of the organizers told an Arutz-7 correspondent, "This act of civil disobedience, and those that will follow, are now instead of the road-blockings, which succeeded in having the police allocate large forces to the highways."
While some citizens complain that the protestors are criminally trying to close down the country, others liken these complaints to those who ask their neighbor who is being mugged not to scream so loud because it's disturbing their sleep. "It can't be that Gush Katif and the northern Shomron will be destroyed to the foundations, while those in Tel Aviv feel nothing," one of the latter said.