JERUSALEM - President Moshe Katsav convinced Thursday 50 members of the right-wing university students group “Orange Cell” to end their 12-day hunger strike in protest of the disengagement.
Katsav invited the students to his official Jerusalem residence, whereupon he asked them to consider ending the strike for health reasons. The students discussed the matter and decided to continue protesting the pullout “with a sandwich in hand.”
“I fear increases in extreme acts that may bring about a situation similar to the one in 1995, when Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated,” Katsav said.
'We love Israel'
The students claimed they were successful at evoking public discourse regarding the evacuation of settlers from Gaza and parts of the West bank, and added they are planning on setting up tents in cities throughout the country where they would explain why the pullout plan is so detrimental to Israel.
12 days go “Orange Cell” members from the country’s leading universities set up a protest tent in front of the High Court building in Jerusalem in which they held panels and discussions, some of which were attended by left-wing Knesset members and public figures.
Tel Aviv University student Liron Zaidon told Ynet at the time that the students had decided to go on a hunger strike because “We love the state of Israel, we do not want to only die for the country, but also live for it, and that is why we are waging our battle.”
