August 16, 2005

Looks like peace at last!

From Fox News:

In the Palestinian town of Khan Younis, Palestinian children rushed toward the wall of a nearby Jewish settlement and placed a flag from the Hamas (search) militant group on it — prompting Israeli soldiers to fire warning shots.

The Hamas rally in southern Gaza occurred as some 2,000 people, most of them children and teens, marched through town to celebrate Israel's pullout from Gaza. Also marching were some 200 hundred masked gunmen carrying rocket launchers and machine guns.

"This is only the first step to liberating all of Palestine, including Jerusalem east and west and every inch of Palestinian land from the sea to the river," said Hamas spokesman Younis al-Astal.

Hamas and other militant groups have been seeking to portray the Israeli withdrawal, which got underway this week, as a victory for violent resistance. Israel fears that perception could lead to further militant attacks after the pullout, undermining efforts to jump start Mideast peacemaking.

Palestinian leaders have vowed to maintain law and order after the Israeli pullout. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia (search) and other Palestinian leaders began a campaign to clean up Gaza's streets under the slogan, "Gaza Clean and Beautiful."

Qureia wore a T-shirt saying, "Today Gaza. Tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem."

No comments: