Israelis line highways to protest pullout

TENS of thousands of people lined major highways around Israel on Monday to protest the nation's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements this summer - a likely taste of what's to come as the August pullout date nears.

At the main entrance to Jerusalem, cars pulled over to the side of the highway as hundreds of people held banners reading "Stop - Think Again" and "Orange Will Win."

Pullout opponents have adopted the colour orange because of the success of last year's Orange Revolution in the Ukraine and because it is the colour of the local council in Gush Katif, the main bloc of Jewish settlements in Gaza.