Protest Against Israeli Disengagement Staged in Crawford, Texas
by Chad Groening
April 11, 2005
(AgapePress) - Protesters have gathered in George W. Bush's hometown of Crawford, Texas, today to let the American President and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon know about the demonstrators' objections to the disengagement plan being worked out by the two national leaders.The gathered throng includes victims of terror, think tank members, college professors, and all kinds of ordinary citizens who do not want to see the Israeli government over one inch of what the protesters consider to be the Jewish people's covenant land to the enemies of Israel.
Bob Ross, a spokesman for the demonstrators, says many citizens have already expressed their concerns over the government leaders' disengagement plan. "We have inundated their offices with faxes and e-mails and have had thousands of others doing the same," he says, "and so far it has had either little or no effect."
Ross says organizers of the protest have chosen to protest in Bush's hometown, believing it a better venue to make their point than the Mall in Washington, D.C., would be. "You could literally put 100,000 people in there, and it would be like a BB in a boxcar," he remarks. However, he says the organizers felt Crawford, a town of 700 would be a much more strategic place to make their point -- especially considering that it is where both the U.S. and Israeli leaders would be appearing on Monday.
"We're told that they're getting the message," the protest spokesman notes, "but it doesn't seem to be coming out in statements or consideration of any change of policy. So we thought if we wanted to really concentrate our efforts, [we'd] pick Crawford, Texas -- a small place that'll certainly be covered in the news on April 11 when Prime Minister Sharon comes to meet with the President of the United States of America."
Citizens taking part in the demonstration have been bused in from churches in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. Ross says the protesters believe if the Israeli disengagement plan is implemented, it will have serious consequences for both Israel and the United States.
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Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, are reporters for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.