1. JERUSALEM RALLY PROTESTS GAZA PULLOUT PLAN… With estimates ranging from 100,000 to 250,000 people present, by any reckoning it was a large turnout in Jerusalem Sunday night to protest Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan for a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The demonstration was billed as a 24-hour affair, and hundreds of protestors did remain through the night. Organizers said their purpose was to force Sharon to bring the pullout to a national referendum. Member of Knesset (parliament) Uzi Landau, who was fired as a minister for disagreeing with Sharon about the withdrawal, told the crowd that whether one supports or opposes the withdrawal, “the rules of the game must be agreed upon” – apparently referring to charges that Sharon has acted undemocratically in pushing through his plan. Sharon has reneged on a public pledge to be bound by a party referendum on the issue that he lost, fired ministers opposed to his plan, and reformulated his cabinet to reflect his desired end result. Polls uniformly show a majority of Israelis in favor of the pullout. The massive rally remained peaceful throughout.
2. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE RICE TO MEET WITH SHARON REPRESENTATIVES ON MONDAY… Representatives of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet in Washington on Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The focus of the meeting will be the continuation of positive diplomatic developments on the Israel-Palestinian front and in particular, issues that will be discussed in next week’s summit meeting between Sharon and Mahmoud ‘Abbas, the newly elected Palestinian leader. Of concern is the overwhelming victory by the Hamas terrorist organization in last Thursday’s municipal elections in the Gaza Strip and what it means to chances that ‘Abbas will be able to put a halt to terror attacks against Israeli targets. Rice is expected to ask the Israelis to further explain plans they announced last summer to expropriate Palestinian-owned land in east Jerusalem neighborhoods. The Sharon government said it will invoke a little-used law dating back to the first days of statehood that allows the government to confiscate land held by absentee owners. In this case, Israel is declaring owners who are cut off from their land by virtue of the controversial security fence to be “absentee” and the land, therefore, subject to confiscation by the state.
3. HAMAS, HIZBULLAH IN PACT TO RETAIN VIOLENCE OPTION… The Hamas and Hizbullah terrorist organizations have entered an agreement reaffirming that “the resistance and steadfastness option is the only option in confronting the current pressure.” “Resistance” refers to the use of violent attacks. Word came in a statement issued after talks in Beirut between Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hasan Na’srallah and Hamas leader Khalid Mash’al. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Mashal said the “resistance program” (terrorism) was being fought “particularly by the U.S. administration and the Zionist enemy.” But referring to the overwhelming success of Hamas in last week’s Gaza municipal elections, he said, “the resistance program is making progress in various fields, making successes and winning the support and confidence of our Palestinian people inside and outside (Palestinian areas.)”
4. ‘ABBAS IN MOSCOW FOR TALKS… Mahmoud ‘Abbas, the Palestinian Authority’s newly-elected president, has arrived in Moscow for talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on his first overseas tour. ‘Abbas is expected to receive a sympathetic hearing by Putin. Russia is a sponsor of the Road Map peace plan and wants to play a greater role in the overall peace process. ‘Abbas wants to generate world support for an end to what he terms “Israeli occupation” and for a Palestinian state.
5. ‘ABBAS TO ASK SHARON FOR RELEASE OF 8,000 PRISONERS… Mahmoud ‘Abbas will ask Ariel Sharon to release as many as 8,000 Palestinian prisoners when the two leaders meet next week. During his campaign to become the Palestinian Authority’s president, ‘Abbas made the prisoner release a priority. According to Israel Army Radio, ‘Abbas’s wish list when he visits with Sharon will also include an Israeli pullback of military forces to where they were stationed prior to the outbreak of Palestinian violence in September 2000, and coordination of the planned Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip with the P.A.