Reservists pack up Knesset protest

After three months of camping near the Knesset in protest over the conflict in Lebanon, the reservists yesterday pulled up stakes.

The camp was set up days after the war by a number of reserve soldiers protesting the political and military leaderships' conduct during the war.

They demanded the resignation of the chief of staff, prime minister and defense minister, and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.

In the first few days, the camp was the hub of public protest against the government.

Thousands of people visited and signed the petition calling for a commission of inquiry.

The reservists pledged yesterday to continue the struggle.

They are collecting testimonies from soldiers and civilians in the north of the country on the goings-on during the war and intend to publish them, to show the faults committed in the front and the home front.

The protest movement consists of reservists, bereaved parents, the Movement for Quality Government and other political movements. They are now awaiting the High Court of Justice's ruling on the petitions to set up a state commission of inquiry.

If the High Court rejects the petitions, the protest movement leaders promise to renew their struggle.