Thousands of West Bank settlers on Thursday, attended the memorial service of yeshiva student Yehuda Dimantman who was killed in an alleged terror attack last week where two others were wounded.
According to some estimates, some 15,000 arrived by buses to northern West Bank for the memorial service at the sight of the shooting, which was held under heavy rain,
Dimantman's family demanded that the government not take any steps to evacuate the yeshiva in Homesh and would in fact legalize it.
After the ceremony, the crowd, which was led by Yehuda's widow Atia, marched towards the yeshiva.
"The more people join us, as it becomes rainier, the more challenging and difficult it is for us, and Yehuda would be happy, I'm certain," said the widow.
A march in memory of Yehuda Dimantman
(Video: Gil Yohanan)
Dimantman, 20, is a resident of the settlement of Shavei Shomron. He was killed when he and three of his friends came under fire in what security forces said was a planned ambush while driving near the illegal outpost of Homesh.
"We invite all the people of Israel, anyone who hasn't arrived yet or regretted not coming, you all are invited to march with us in our heart or to come here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow", Diamantman's widow said. "We will return to all places that Yehuda dreamed off, and all the people of Israel dream of," she said.
IDF troops were on hand to secure the march and the entrances to the Palestinian villages were blocked.
Before the march, Shlomi Dimantman, Yehudas's brother, called on the public to join. "We will take comfort in the mass participation in the march to the site of the murder of our beloved son Yehuda, at the Homesh yeshiva. We turn to the government of Israel and the IDF, and ask to allow entrance to anyone who wishes to come and comfort us in our heavy mourning," said the brother.
Settlers said they would leave a small presence at the Yeshiva to stop any attempt by the IDF to remove structures from the outpost.