Yesha Protests PA Statehood Bid
Jewish activists staged peaceful protests in Judea and Samaria in opposition of the PA statehood bid at the UN this week.

by Gavriel Queenann & Hillel Maeir, Arutz Sheva
September 20, 2011

Hundreds of Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria staged peaceful demonstrations near Arab villages in the region to show opposition to the PA statehood bid at the United Nations this week.

Samaria Regional Council head Gershon Meskika told reporters, "We are marching here today with joy and head up to tell us and the world. Israel lives!"

At Itamar, where five members of the Fogel family were brutally murdered in March, about 400 protesters gathered and marched to junction south of Nablus, led by Mesika and Chairman of the Friends of Samaria, Benny Katzover.

"We start walking from here to remind us all of the source of trouble, the Oslo Accords, which opened the door to terrorism and murder," one of the participants said.

Meanwhile, several dozen protesters marched from the community Beit El to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority.

Leading the march were MK Michael Ben Ari (National Union), nationalist activist Itamar Ben Gvir, and Chairman of the Friends of Benjamin Itzik Fees.

"We are delivering a message here to Netanyahu: 'You have no permission to give any 'generous concessions'! Nothing belongs to you!" Ben Ari declared.

"The Land of Israel belongs to the Nation of Israel… to my grandfather and your grandfather… to my grandson and your grandson. And you have no permission to go to some terrorist in a suit and allow him to establish a terrorist state here," Ben Ari added.

The third march was from Kiryat Arba into Hebron. Leading the march was nationalist activist Baruch Marzel.

Security officials said the demonstrations were peaceful and concluded without incident.

The IDF has been calling up reservists with experience in Judea and Samaria to bolster forces in the region due to concerns mass protests of local Arabs planned by officials in Ramallah will turn violent.