Thousands of settlers protest at Gaza withdrawal

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 today.

They claimed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon does not have a mandate and must hold a referendum on dismantling settlements.

During the rally, one of the largest in Jerusalem’s history, demonstrators joined in a pledge to go to Gaza to try to disrupt the evacuation of settlements, set for this summer. However, the protest was unlikely to deter Sharon who has stabilised his coalition, despite efforts of hard-line opponents to topple him.

“Ariel Sharon, you have no mandate to expel Jews,” said Effie Eitam, a pro-settler MP, 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 – on Wednesday.

Palestinian security officials said they were told by their Israeli counterparts that in addition to leaving West Bank towns, troops would take down some roadblocks, 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 centres in most areas since then.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has won a commitment from militant groups to stop attacks, and Israel has scaled back military operations in return – but no formal ceasefire declarations have been made.

In another significant move, an Israeli official said 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 fulfil a key campaign pledge that fugitives would be allowed to reintegrate into Palestinian society with no fear of Israeli reprisal.

Israel’s army chief met senior officers today to discuss the scope and timing of a release of Palestinian prisoners, another key Palestinian demand, defence officials said.

Abbas wants some of the 7,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisoners to be set free.