Israel moves to block Gaza protesters

ISRAEL deployed 20,000 police and soldiers yesterday to block what was billed as the biggest march yet of Gaza withdrawal opponents — a crucial test run for security forces and protesters ahead of the pullout planned for August.

Organisers said marchers were trying to reach Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip even though police have declared the demonstration illegal and last week barred nonresidents from entering Gaza settlements.

The frequency of Palestinian attacks from Gaza dipped yesterday after a violent weekend, when more than 100 rockets and mortars were fired at Jewish settlements in Gaza and Israeli towns just outside.

Israel’s vice premier said Israel would not invade Gaza if Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas stops the militants.

Police and settler leaders said they expected tens of thousands of participants in yesterday’s demonstration.

The crowd assembled in the southern Israeli town of Netivot, for the first leg of a three-day march to Gaza, 24 kilometres away.

Some 12,000 police and 8,000 soldiers were being deployed throughout southern Israel to stop the crowd before it reaches Gaza, said police spokesperson Avi Zelba.

Several hours before the march, police began preventing buses carrying protesters in various points around the country from starting their journey, said Shaul Goldstein, a West Bank settler leader.

In the Gaza Strip, Egyptian mediators held a second day of meetings with leaders of Palestinian militant groups to try to rescue a five-month-old truce badly shaken by weekend violence, including a barrage of Palestinian mortar fire and Israeli air strikes.

The mediators were delivering a stern message to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups that the ceasefire agreed to in February does not give them the right to retaliate for perceived Israeli truce violations, participants said. Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders insisted they do have such a right, and it was not clear how the disagreement would be resolved.

Over the weekend, Israeli troops amassed outside Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he has given the army a free hand to stop mortar and rocket fire on Israeli towns. The troop buildup came after six Israelis were killed last week, five in an Islamic

Jihad suicide bombing and a Hamas rocket attack.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas promised on Sunday to do his best to stop the rocket fire. And Israeli Vice Premier Ehud Olmert took a conciliatory tone yesterday, saying he hoped Mr Abbas would stop the attacks.