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Palestinian leader urges calm in pullout
(AP)
Updated: 2005-08-10 09:19
With a week to go before Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Palestinian
leader Mahmoud Abbas warned his people Tuesday that attacks during the pullout
would harm their chances for independence, reported Associated Press.
He also reassured Hamas rivals that long-overdue parliamentary elections will
be held in January, although he did not set an exact date.
"There is a requirement to ensure the withdrawal takes place in a civilized
manner," Abbas told Palestinian legislators in Gaza City. "We will be able to
show the world we deserve independence and freedom."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas,
also known as Abu Mazen, left, looks on during a meeting with Hamas
representative Mahmoud Zahar in the Palestinian Authority's headquarters
in Gaza City, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2005. [AP] | Later Tuesday, Israeli and Palestinian officials reached agreement on the
disposal of rubble from the Jewish settlements that will be destroyed 锟斤拷 a
crucial point of coordination. Abbas was to announce on Wednesday whether he
accepts the agreement.
Israeli and Palestinian officials working to coordinate the withdrawal agreed
that Israel will take in dangerous rubble, including asbestos, while the
Palestinians will remove the rest. Israel is to fund the Palestinian part, but
the World Bank will administer the money.
International envoy James Wolfensohn, an American, participated in the
meeting and was to report on its results to President Bush.
Abbas told his parliament that Palestinian behavior during the pullout will
determine how the world perceives their ability to run their own affairs.
Violent groups like Hamas want to show they are driving the Israelis out by
force, but Abbas wants a smooth handover.
He also promised to hold long-delayed parliamentary elections in January as a
gesture to the militants.
Hamas, which is entering candidates for the first time and hopes to build on
recent victories in local elections, has harshly criticized Abbas' decision to
postpone the parliamentary vote, originally set for July 17.
In his speech before Parliament, Abbas' main focus was on easing the way for
Israel to exit the coastal territory. Israel plans to remove all 21 settlements,
with about 8,500 residents, and has warned of harsh reprisals in response to
Palestinian attacks during the withdrawal.
Abbas warned against looting after the withdrawal, saying the land on which
the settlements were built belongs to all Palestinians.
He also cautioned against excessive celebrations because the pullout falls
far short of the Palestinian goal of full independence in Gaza, the West Bank
and east Jerusalem.
"The Israelis are still occupying our land. The road is still long ahead," he
said.
He used especially tough language against militants, who have continued to
fire rockets and carry out other attacks despite a six-month cease-fire with
Israel.
Abbas said the attacks have only brought misery to the Palestinians 锟斤拷 either
by inadvertently hitting them or by prompting Israeli reprisals. He said he
expects militants to give up their weapons after the Israeli withdrawal.
"The presence of the gunmen in the streets must end. The Palestinian
Authority must be the only authority," he said.
But even as he spoke, hundreds of gunmen affiliated with Fatah demonstrated
outside the building. The militants demanded the dismissal of the Palestinian
finance minister, who has tightened control over spending, and assurances of
jobs and safety after the withdrawal.
The protest ended without incident, but reflected continuing lawlessness.
Israel, meanwhile, took a step toward preparing for the removal of four small
West Bank settlements as part of the "disengagement" plan, closing part of the
northern territory to Israeli civilians to keep opponents of the withdrawal out
of the area.
The military said the order includes a main checkpoint and two of the four
settlements slated for evacuation.
The decision came in response to plans by hard-liners to hold a large
demonstration in the area and no decision had been made on how long the closure
would last, the army said. It already has turned Gaza into a closed military
zone, barring nonresidents from entering.
Israeli hard-liners' objections to the pullout also continued to crystalize,
with lawmaker Uzi Landau, a leading opponent of the plan, announcing Tuesday he
would challenge Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for leadership of the ruling Likud
Party.
Landau's candidacy was viewed as a longshot, but his announcement was another
sign that the party could split over the Gaza pullout. Earlier this week, Likud
hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu resigned as finance minister in an apparent bid to
wrest control of the party from Sharon. On Tuesday, the government approved the
appointment of Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, a close Sharon ally, as the new finance
minister.
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