KFAR MAIMON - Most anti-pullout activists, but not all, who were at Kfar Maimon have gone home.
Some 300 right-wing protesters, who tried to infiltrate the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip and cut barbed wire fences, have been arrested and brought to the Beer Sheva police station.
Protest ends
250 arrested as protest ends / By Efrat Weiss and Ronny Sofer
Three-day protest ends, small group pledges to continue attempts to reach Gush Katif
There, they were offered a deal: They would be released if they promised not to return to the Kissufim area in the coming weeks.
Most of the arrestees rejected the offer, saying they preferred to stand trial.
'All-encompassing platform'
In the meantime, tempers are still simmering following the dispersal of the massive anti-pullout march, and many activists have hidden their disappointment with the outcome.
Yesha Council heads called a meeting Thursday morning of those still left in the area and tried to explain.
"Our goal was to act wisely in order to stop the eviction process, not to push it off, but to stop it," Yesha Council Chairman Bentzi Lieberman said.
After summarizing the protest activities of the last few weeks, Lieberman called upon supporters not to lose heart.
"Tens of thousands came, and we created an all-encompassing platform, taking in all political hues, that came supported us," he said.
He said the anti-pullout demonstrators succeeded in pinning down security personnel while infiltrating over 1,000 people into Gush Katif.
"We could have broken down fences, but that would have risked lives," he said.
Infrastructure at Kfar Maimon collapses
Leiberman explained Kfar Maimon cannot continue to host thousands of protests.
“Originally, we thought it would be correct to continue to stay here, to soften up the IDF and prevent the expulsion and slowly, intelligently, to get people into Gush Katif.
"But yesterday, when we sat down with the wonderful people of Kfar Maimon, they told us they couldn’t continue this crucial project because of the blockade and the overload on our infrastructure," he said.
Despite police suspicions, Lieberman clarified the council has no intention to sneak people into Gush Katif.
“This struggle requires patience, and we must be careful not to make decisions we won’t regret later,” he said.
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