The Israeli military on Thursday isolated the Gaza Strip, declaring it a "closed military zone" to prevent Jewish extremists from going in. The army said in a statement that because of extremist violence in the past few days, "the head of the southern command ... signed a closure order preventing non-residents from entering the Gaza Strip."
Events in Gaza have snowballed over the past two weeks, beginning with a settler attack on innocent Palestinians on the beach on June 18 and culminating with a brutal stoning attack that left a 16-year-old boy near death and a 45-year-old man in serious condition Wednesday.
In addition, Israeli military and police forces concentrated forces in the Gaza Strip early Thursday ahead of an expected move against radical right-wing activists, who are holed up in a local hotel.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon slammed radical right wing activists, who protested his Gaza Strip pullout plan by blocking roads and the wounding of a Palestinian boy during clashes with Gaza settlers, and vowed he would not allow such violence to scuttle the withdrawal in the summer, Yedioth Ahronoth said on Thursday.
“What is happening before our eyes isn’t a struggle for the Gaza pullout but for the image of the country,” he told the daily. “I won't allow this situation to continue. The situation is not lost, and we will win.”
Speaking hours after tens of thousands of rightists and settlers blocked dozens of major highways all around the country in their latest in a series of demonstrations, Sharon said the protesters are dividing Israelis.
“We are witness to endless attempts by small, radical groups that plant hatred among Israelis instead of bridging the gaps,” he said. “What they are doing is ignoring the country’s real problems and the dangers hovering above it with the intention of disrupting everyday life.”
