Israeli group marches to support Gaza pullout

BEIT YANNAI, Israel (Reuters) – Scores of Israelis launched
a cross-country rally on Sunday to drum up support for next
month’s Gaza Strip withdrawal and counter big protests by
rightists opposed to the plan.

Organizers of the weeklong “Leaving Gaza — Returning to
Zionism” campaign said it aimed to stir public debate in the
Jewish state about prospects for peace with the Palestinians
rather than boost right-wing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

“It is high time Israelis realize that leaving Gaza has to
be just the first step toward an accord with the Palestinians
and realizing our dream of being a democratic Jewish homeland,”
organizer Ami Ayalon, a former security chief, told Reuters.

Polls show most Israelis back Sharon’s vision of
“disengaging” from conflict by removing Jewish settlements from
Gaza and a corner of the West Bank, territories occupied since
1967 and where Palestinians have been fighting for statehood.
But Sharon has made clear he intends to keep hold of West Bank
settlement blocs, much bigger than those in Gaza, prompting
Palestinian leaders to warn violence could flare up anew once
the Gaza withdrawal ends.

The prime minister has also been besieged by rightists who
condemn the withdrawals as a betrayal of Jewish claims on
biblical land and a reward for Palestinian suicide bombings.

Israel’s highways and junctions have been festooned with
orange, the municipal color of the main Gaza settlement bloc,
thanks to massive demonstrations by Jewish ultranationalists.

Ayalon, who founded a group to promote Israeli-Palestinian
coexistence that claims 400,000 supporters on both sides,
countered the move last month by distributing ribbons in blue
and white, the national colors.

The rally will stop at two cities every day, encouraging
residents to sign petitions in favor of the Gaza pullout.

At the convoy’s first stop, a shopping mall in the town of
Beit Yannai, passers by chatted with the activists, although
some voiced doubt in the efficacy of Ayalon’s drive.

“I’m very skeptical about changing opinions in Israel,”
said Ariel Halevy. “But I hope it will help. I am all for it.”

One Sharon aide said: “It’s about time someone showed that
orange isn’t the only color on the street.”