PEACEFUL KFAR MAIMON PROTEST HAD PROFOUND EFFECT ON SOLDIERS
16:21 Jul 31, '05 / 24 Tammuz 5765
By Ezra HaLevi
An article in the IDF weekly B'Machane ("On the Base") illustrates how the non-violent standoff at Kfar Maimon two weeks ago shattered the stereotypes held by the thousands of soldiers there.
The article, written by an unnamed platoon commander last week, reads:
"During the course of the past week, my battalion stood opposite those opposing the Disengagement. At the beginning, we were stationed on the road to Kisufim Crossing, in case ant-Disengagement protesters broke through the police perimeters surrounding Kfar Maimon. Later on, we were sent to Kfar Maimon itself, where we surrounded the community's fence.
"We survived 36 hours without bathing facilities, toothbrushes, or normal sleeping facilities, but it was a very important experience for the soldiers. At the fences, there was constant interaction between the soldiers and the demonstrators.
"Many soldiers from the battalion take part in forums creating dialogue between religious and secular Israelis. Many of them joyously met friends of theirs from those forums at Kfar Maimon. My sergeant, for example, saw and spoke with religious girls that he had become acquainted with just one month earlier under completely different circumstances.
"Instead of struggling with the demonstrators, what I saw before my eyes were soldiers standing and talking with the demonstrators - it was a surreal scene.
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