Dozens of Jews gathered Friday morning to demonstrate at the “sheep junction” south of Hevron, a key roadblock located at a site where there have been many terror attacks in the past.
The government promised US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice it would open up the road to Palestinian Authority Arab traffic – which would also increase terrorists’ access to Jewish towns.
Southern Hevron Hills Regional Council leader Tzviki Bar Chai called on residents to protest, noting that Arab terrorists have carried out numerous attacks at the junction.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak previously has promised that he would not remove any roadblocks in cases where the lives of Israelis would be endangered.
Three IDF soldiers have been murdered and dozens of others wounded in past terrorist attacks at the “sheep junction” site.
Activists in Sa-Nur, Homesh
More than 100 activists arrived early Friday to set up their tents at the ruins of the northern Samarian communities of Sa-Nur and Homesh, both destroyed as part of the 2005 Disengagement from Gaza.
Security officials, who had been expecting the focus of activities to be centered on Homesh, were caught off guard and were not aware of the move to Sa-Nur.
Thousands of supporters of Jewish development in Judea and Samaria flocked to Homesh a day earlier, on Independence Day, where activists have staged a year-long campaign to remain a presence despite attempts by the government to disperse them.
Migron
More than 2,000 Israelis also celebrated with the 43 families who live in the Samarian hilltop community of Migron, near Beit El and Ofra, on Independence Day.
Migron is slated for destruction by the government this August under a court order following a petition by the left-wing Peace Now organization that claimed it was established after Israel promised the US it would freeze construction of new communities.
Residents of the small community have presented documentation showing that Migron was established several months before the cut-off date.