(Tens of )Thousands of Israelis rally against Gaza pullout [View All]

[maddezmom]

NEVEH DEKALIM, Gaza (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Israelis have rallied in the Gush Katif settlement bloc to protest Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to abandon Jewish enclaves in the Gaza Strip.

The surprisingly high turnout of upwards of 50,000 flag- waving Israelis for an Independence Day march on Tuesday stirred hopes among settlers of defeating a crucial May 2 referendum of Sharon's right-wing Likud party on his "disengagement" plan.

~snip~

In an attempt to sway the hardliners, Sharon stressed in a television interview that he would take tougher action against militants after a Gaza pullout, and that U.S.-Israeli ties could be harmed if his party fails to pass the plan.

Sharon's plan calls for uprooting all Jewish settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank, but polls show it is far from guaranteed to be approved by the traditionally pro-settler Likud party. A survey on Friday showed 49 percent of the party's 200,000 members in favour and 39.5 percent against.

~snip~
more: http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=500558§ion=news