Israeli
police decided on Tuesday to release most of the 378 pullout foes
arrested Monday for blocking major highways and intersections in Israel.
Protestors who were arrested only for blocking roads
will be released on NIS 5,000 bail with some restrictions.
Police, however, will extend the arrest of those right-wing activists
who are suspected of assaulting police officers or burning tires.
The release of the protestors is conditioned. They must agree not
to take part in any protests for 60 days. They also have to be
away from Jerusalem in the near future.
Senior Israeli security officials said they will show no tolerance for violent actions against the military and the police.
Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan said his office would have zero tolerance for demonstrators who break the law.
‘We will not tolerate cases of violence and road blocking. On this
matter we will demonstrate zero tolerance. Our policy is to investigate
and to arrest and, in especially serious cases, to ask the court to
detain the suspects until the end of the legal proceedings against
them,’ Nitzan told the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
Anti-pullout foes block roads, more settlers sign for Nitzanim
While anti-pullout right wing foes have paralyzed the country, blocking
dozens of highways across Israel, several hundred families from Ghush
Katif settlement signed for a collective voluntary move to Nitzanim
near the southern Israel city of Ashkilon.
Around 300 protesters among thousands, who
blocked Monday evening entrances to main Israeli cities, highways and
main road intersections, were arrested by the police.
At the same time, the heads of three settlements in
the Gush Katif block have already collected the signature of several
hundred settler families to the Nitzanim plan.
However, official settler leaders in Gush Katif said
Monday that only 100 families have signed a form saying they wish to
move to Nitzanim.
The Israeli government has demanded that the
settlers show that a large number of Gush Katif residents are
interested in transferring to Nitzanim before it goes ahead with
building new communities there.
Gush Katif Settler “rebels†are working to collect
the signature of 400 hundred families, about one fourth of Gush Katif
settlers, so as the Nitzanim plan is not shelved. So far it appears
that they managed to collect 115 signatures.
Amram Itah, chairman of the Bedolah settlement, said
Monday that by Tuesday evening, when all forms are collected, there
would be many more signatories, probably more than 500.
