Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers and their supporters protested outside parliament against the planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank, saying Prime Minister Ariel Sharon does not have a mandate to dismantle settlements and must hold a national referendum.
During the rally, one of the largest in Jerusalem's history, demonstrators joined in a mass pledge to go to Gaza to try to disrupt the dismantling of settlements, set for this summer. However, the protest was unlikely to deter Sharon who stabilized his coalition, despite efforts of opponents to topple him.
"Ariel Sharon, you have no mandate to expel Jews," said Effie Eitam, a pro-settler lawmaker, to the crowd, estimated at about 130,000.
The settler protest came as a de-facto truce was taking hold and Israel was preparing to hand security control of West Bank towns to the Palestinians.
Palestinian police commanders said they were told to prepare to take control of four West Bank cities -- Ramallah, Qalqiliya, Tulkarem and Jericho -- tomorrow. However, Israeli officials said no steps would be taken ahead of a meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet on Thursday.
Palestinian security officials said they were told by their Israeli counterparts that troops would take down some roadblocks ringing West Bank towns, rolling back security measures imposed after violence erupted in September 2000. Israeli forces reoccupied West Bank towns in April 2002, after a series of particularly bloody suicide bombings, but have pulled back to the outskirts of population centers in most areas since then.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has won a commitment from militant groups to stop attacks, and Israel has scaled back its military operations in return -- but no formal ceasefire declarations have been made.
In another significant move, an Israeli official said on Sunday that Israel would grant an amnesty to West Bank fugitives, ending its relentless search for dozens of militants suspected of carrying out or planning attacks. In four years of conflict, dozens have been killed in Israeli raids and many more arrested.
The amnesty would allow Abbas to fulfill a key campaign pledge made before he handily won a Jan. 9 election to replace the late Yasser Arafat -- that fugitives would be allowed to reintegrate into Palestinian society with no fear of Israeli reprisal.
Israel has long held the right to strike at militants, though Palestinians called the operations assassinations and human-rights groups condemned the practice.
Israel's army chief met yesterday morning with senior officers to discuss the scope and timing of a release of Palestinian prisoners, another key Palestinian demand, defense officials said.
Abbas wants some of the approximately 7,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons to be set free.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said on Sunday that although a release was acceptable to Israel in principle, prisoners who killed Israelis could not be freed in the near term. Mofaz left open the possibility that criteria could be eased in the future.
Abbas and Sharon were heading toward their first meeting since 2003, when Abbas was prime minister. Feb. 8 was emerging as the date for the summit, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to arrive in the region two days before.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS