Thousands demonstrate in Gaza
2004-04-27 16:19
Gush Katif, Gaza Strip - Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers staged a show of force on Tuesday in southern Gaza during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to remove all settlements from the territory.
The Yesha Council of Settlements said 110 000 Israelis gathered in the Gaza Strip settlement bloc of Gush Katif to condemn the planned withdrawal, while Israeli public radio put the numbers at 60 000.
"This is beyond anything we'd hoped for," one of the organisers, Aviad Vissoly, said.
The crowd of demonstrators marched with Israeli flags along the beach of the coastal settlement bloc in a show of force that coincided with the 56th anniversary of the creation of the state.
The package of unilateral measures which Sharon dubbed a "disengagement" plan, received US President George W Bush's endorsement two weeks ago.
It calls for the removal of all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and their 7 500 residents.
In a speech in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Sharon described the plan as an opportunity for Israeli-Palestinian peace.