-->Mittwoch 4. Juni 2003, 22:31 Uhr
Nahost-Friedensplan erzürnt ultra-rechte Israelis

Jerusalem (dpa) - Der auf den Weg gebrachte Nahost-Friedensplan erzürnt die ultra-rechten Israelis. Zu zehntausenden gingen sie in Jerusalem auf die Straße. Der aktuelle Vorschlag des Nahost-Quartetts sieht vor, dass die Palästinenser einen eigenen Staat errichten dürfen. In Akaba hatte US-Präsident George W. Bush heute mit Israels Ministerpräsident Ariel Scharon und dessen palästinensischem Kollegen Mahmud Abbas gesprochen. Scharon und Abbas sagten zu, dass sie neue Friedensgespräche aufnehmen wollen.

Thousands gather in Jerusalem for anti-road map rally

By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service



Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered
Wednesday evening for a protest in Jerusalem's
Zion Square against the road map to Middle East
peace - the focus of a trilateral summit in Aqaba
earlier in the day - and the government's
acceptance of the plan.




Jordanian King Abdullah II
played host to U.S. President
George Bush, Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian
Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in
Aqaba, as the three met for
talks on the road map for
Middle East peace.

Government ministers Uzi Landau

(Likud) and Avigdor Lieberman (National Union),
both of whom voted against the government's
acceptance of the internationally-brokered road
map, said Wednesday that they would not attend
the demonstration.

Knesset members and ministers from the Likud,
National Union, the National Religious Party,
Shas and United Torah Judaism spoke at the
demonstration.

During the rally, the organizers were to play
excerpts from a previous speech by Sharon, in
which the prime minister expressed his opposition
to the creation of a Palestinian state, one of
the fundamental objectives of the road map.
Demonstrators are also to play segments of a
speech in which Sharon blessed the strength of
the settlers and said their presence in the West
Bank was permanent.

Israel Radio reported one of the demonstrators
waved a sign reading"Sharon is a traitor." A
scuffle broke out when security personnel
confiscated the poster and the demonstrator
demanded its return.

A number of American senators and congressmen were
to join the demonstration.

Yesha: summit 'humiliating ceremony'
Earlier, the Council of Jewish Settlements in
Judea, Samaria and the Gaza District (Yesha
Council) issued a statement calling the Aqaba
summit"a humiliating ceremony in which the
Israeli government celebrated its surrender to
Palestinian terror."

Speaking after the conclusion of the talks, Yesha
Council Secretary-General Adi Mintz told Army
Radio that the government was likely take steps
that would cross"red lines."

Mintz warned that right-wing parties in the ruling
coalition should not take part in actions that
cross what he called"red lines."

"When the government begins taking practical steps
that will lead to a Palestinian state, this is
for us a red line beyond which I think
nationalist parties cannot participate," Mintz
told the radio.

"When the government evacuates Jews from their
land... I think that evacuation of this nature in
the context of the creation of a Palestinian
state is certainly a red line that nationalist
parties - this includes many Likud members - do
not accept," he added.

MKs Zvi Hendel and Uri Ariel, the two
representatives of Tekuma - one of the three
parties that make up the National Union - sent a
letter to Sharon hinting that the moment the
government starts implementing the road map and
evacuating outposts, they will quit the ruling
coalition.

Security sources: settlers may use violence
Senior security sources have warned that settlers
might turn their weapons on Israeli security
forces taking part in the evacuation of
settlement outposts.

"We haven't heard of anything like this," Mintz
responded."If there were such fears, it is
reasonable to assume we would have heard about
them. Thus, I do not rule out the possibility
that there is someone who is trying to leak
information of this nature in order to
incriminate us."

But said Mintz, the settlers' fight against the
road map and evacuation of outposts will be
carried out"democratically and within the
framework of the law."