Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel — Challenging their government’s policy of holding on to the West Bank and Gaza, Israelis crowded Tel Aviv’s central square Saturday night in the biggest rally by Israel’s resurgent peace camp during nearly 20 months of Palestinian-Israeli violence.
About 50,000 Israelis turned out for the demonstration, waving flags and banners reading, "Leave the territories, for the sake of Israel."
Amid heavy security and police cordons that diverted traffic several blocks away from the square, the event attracted a broad mix of Israelis from all over the country, including families with small children, hippy characters carrying guitars and many of Tel Aviv’s cafe-culture residents.
Zeev Hertzog, 60, predicted that as violence escalates, more Israelis will come out on the streets to protest the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, "unfortunately, it must get much worse before it will get much better," he said.
The rally featured Israeli entertainers, literati and politicians, who expressed sharp criticism of Israel’s leadership.
Author Amos Oz called for the immediate establishment of a "peace party." Oz described both Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as "miserable leaders" and called for their replacement.
In a plea to Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Oz called on them to leave the settlements and relocate to needy towns inside Israel. "Come home," he said, "we will accept you."
The Israeli peace movement has been virtually paralyzed by events over the past two years. First, the Palestinians failed to accept what most Israelis, including peace activists, thought was a generous offer of an independent Palestinian state in almost all of the West Bank, all of Gaza and a foothold in Jerusalem. Then unprecedented violence erupted, sparking a conflict that has been punctuated by dozens of Palestinian suicide bombing attacks in Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel put off its offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and pulled out of a West Bank town Saturday, leaving Palestinian-run territories free of Israeli troops for the first time in six weeks.
Palestinian officials expressed little relief, however, as Israeli tanks and most reservists called up in recent days continued to sit on the border with Gaza.
"Postponed doesn’t mean canceled," said Saeb Erekat, a senior official in the Palestinian Authority.
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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