Three Israel Defense Force reserve officers, in the second week of a hunger strike for electoral reform, seem to be rallying thousands of Israelis to their cause.
Col. David Meital, Lt. Col. Avi Kadish and Maj. Shahar Ben-Meir have been camping in a tent outside the Knesset building, subsisting on liquids. They have drawn large crowds of well-wishers and praise from Mayors Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem and Shlomo Lahat of Tel Aviv.
Kollek sent a heater to their tent, which was buffeted by rain and sleet Sunday and Monday.
The officers were received Monday morning by President Chaim Herzog, an outspoken advocate of reform. They said they were immensely encouraged.
The officers said they expected a million citizens to attend a rally in Tel Aviv next Saturday night to demand that the nation be polled on electoral reform.
The three officers, who range in age from the late 30s to the mid-50s, said they were galvanized after the Knesset voted huge allocations to the religious institutions of the ultra-Orthodox parties, which would hold the balance of power in a new coalition government.
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