Last stand on Gaza?: Disengagement foes huddle on edge of Gaza Strip

kfar maimon, israel | Under sparse clumps of trees, thousands of anti-withdrawal activists who have gathered for a mass protest march to the Gaza Strip take refuge from the baking sun and vow to continue their struggle, no matter what.

They arrived this week from across the country — by bus, taxi, car and on foot — despite unprecedented efforts by police to block them, including declaring their planned march illegal.

Tensions ran high as thousands of police, braced for possible confrontations, were placed on the highest state of alert.

Dressed in orange — the color they've adopted for their struggle to prevent the Israeli government from uprooting thousands of settlers from the Gaza Strip and part of the northern West Bank — the protesters are making a last stand.

"How could you not come when Jews living in the Land of Israel are being forced to move out of their homes?" asked Ya'akov Magness, 53, a clinical psychologist who traveled with his wife and daughter from their home in the Golan Heights, far to the north.

The family, which camped out in a tent Monday night, July 18, said they'll stay as long as necessary to show the government that the activists can't be ignored. Many of the 7,000 or so protesters encamped in Kfar Maimon, a village about 12 miles from the Kissufim crossing into Gush Katif, the main Jewish settlement bloc in Gaza, were preparing to spend a second night there on Tuesday, July 19.

"There is the feeling that you must show your support and do something," Magness, a Memphis native who immigrated to Israel in 1982, said as he sat under a black tarpaulin strung between trees on a grassy hill.

Some 20,000 sympathizers gathered for a mass rally in the nearby town of Netivot. Some then continued on to Kfar Maimon, but they were prevented by Israeli police from setting out for Gush Katif.

Police cordoned off the entire village to prevent the activists from marching on Gaza. About 20 protesters were arrested after scuffles with officers. Several people, including police, suffered light injuries.

The government declared the Gaza Strip a closed military zone last week, allowing only residents to travel in and out. Policymakers feared that if they left the area open it would be flooded by anti-withdrawal activists, complicating the evacuation of Jewish settlements and military posts slated to begin in mid-August.

The decision to declare the march illegal was based on concerns that protesters would reach the fence surrounding Gush Katif and try to break through.

In related news, two Israeli women soldiers face jail time for refusing to help the army seal off Gaza Strip settlements to outsiders. The two soldiers refused orders to help seal off the Gaza Strip last weekend ahead of Israel's upcoming withdrawal from the area. They are the first women to join more than 40 male soldiers who have refused orders connected to the pullout.

Despite the tensions and uncertainty, the mood in Kfar Maimon was relaxed on the afternoon of July 19. Some children rode bikes with orange ribbons billowing from the handlebars. Others ate orange Popsicles and danced to religious music blasting from a van. Teenage boys danced in circles to the strains of "Am Yisrael Chai."