Anti-deal protestors block entrance to Jerusalem

Demonstrations are planned for Thursday night at intersections throughout the country as cabinet vote on deal is delayed.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Israelis who feel that the announced hostage deal with Hamas endangers the country and is a death sentence for those not released in the first phase demonstrated Thursday morning at the main entrance to Jerusalem, causing massive traffic jams.

The protestors carried fake coffins draped in Israeli flags, chanting, “We don’t leave hostages behind.”

Hundreds blocked the “Bridge of Strings” intersection Wednesday night as well, saying, “We will not make a deal with the devil.”

In the evening protest, clashes broke out with police officers who were trying to clear the road. Angry protestors shouted, saying they were being treated differently than those who were blocking roads in support of hostage deals, whom the police have largely left alone.

On both Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the anti-deal crowds were led by the Heroes Forum and Tikva (Hope) Forum, whose members are among the families of soldiers who have fallen in the 15-month-long war and of Hamas hostages. They have been demanding for months that the government stick to its stated war goal of destroying Hamas as the only way to bring all the hostages home.

After the hostage deal was announced Wednesday evening, some bereaved families and their supporters slept overnight on the street, in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, where they protested against the agreement.

At the Thursday morning event, while asking others to join the protest, Heroes Forum chairman Yehoshua Shani said, “We call from here on the prime minister, on the entire cabinet, to stop at the last moment. Don’t sign a deal that means surrender — abandoning the remaining hostages and undermining Israel’s security.”

Referring to several rows of fake, flag-covered coffins that had been set up on a nearby sidewalk, he said that the result of this deal will mean “more and more soldiers will be in such coffins.”

“Members of the government,” he declared, “it is up to you to stop the catastrophe.”

The cabinet was scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. to vote on the deal, which led to the morning demonstration, but due to last-minute concessions demanded by Hamas, it was postponed to Thursday evening.

The Forums are calling on the public to come en masse to demonstrations at intersections throughout the country at 7:30 p.m. to express their opposition to the deal.