Police made a series of arrests Tuesday in a stand-off with tens of thousands of ultra-nationalist opponents of Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip who are blocked from marching on the territory. They sealed off all access to the car-park where protest organisers estimated around 50,000 supporters had assembled in the small town of Kfar Maimon ahead of a planned march on the border crossing with Gaza.
Late in the afternoon, scuffles broke out in which two police officers were lightly injured. Eighteen people were arrested, police said.
With police on a maximum state of alert for the first time since the start of the Iraq war in 2003, security forces were under strict orders to prevent protestors from reaching the border crossing and forcing their way into the main Jewish settlement bloc.
"I have given the order not to allow them to go further. No one will enter Gush Katif," Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said.
Officers, who put the crowd at no more than 20,000, announced by loudspeaker that buses were laid on for the protestors to leave the area, underlining that there was no prospect of them continuing their journey westwards to Kissufim.
But the announcement was partially drowned out by cheers and whistles from the protestors.
A top settler leader called for defiance and egged on police to use force if they dared.
"We will remain seated on the ground (if) the police beat us up," Bentzi Lieberman, a leader of the settlers' Yesha lobby, said.
"We must prove our passion. Everyone must await our call. I can't say if it will be in two or 18 hours but we are ready. We have more perseverance than police. We will go to Gush Katif. If we are stopped, we will stay," Liberman added.
The rally represents one of the last shows of strength by opponents of next month's pullout from Gaza and four small West Bank settlements - a plan that has overcome all parliamentary and legal hurdles.
Public access to the 21 Gaza settlements was sealed off last week, infuriating the organisers of the mass protest and inciting accusations that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was acting like a dictator.
Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said criticism of the premier was "legitimate" but that "everyone must play according to the rules of democracy".
Although the atmosphere of the rally was largely jovial, the red alert status reflected fears that events could spiral out of control. A police spokesman said approximately 20,000 police and security forces were deployed in the southern area to keep the peace, as protestors remained adamant of the righteousness of their cause.
"We will fight for our liberties. It is unthinkable that we should give up Gush Katif without anything in return," said Rebecca, an American-born Israeli who gave only her first name.
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