Israel opposes the return of Palestinian refugees, saying it would be demographic suicide.

'Every Palestinian refugee looks forward to the day he will embrace his homeland,' said Musa Zaqout, 66, of the Beach refugee camp in Gaza. Although Palestinian leaders say they want an independent state in Gaza and the West Bank, several million refugees and their descendants hope to return to their properties inside Israel. Tens of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled during fighting ahead of Israel's independence on May 15, 1948. Many held large wooden keys symbolizing homes lost more than half a century ago. Thousands of Palestinians participated in marches throughout the areas. to make this peace, the peace of the brave.'Īt noon local time, sirens wailed throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip to signal three minutes of silence. 'And if they want peace, then let's have peace.'Īrafat also said the Palestinians' 'hand is extended (to Israel). 'Find what strength you have to terrorize your enemy and the enemy of God,' he said, quoting the Quran. In a televised speech from the West Bank town of Ramallah, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat urged his people to remain steadfast, sending a mixed message of defiance and readiness for peace talks. The withdrawal came as Palestinians marked the anniversary of Israel's establishment 56 years ago, a day known to Palestinians as 'the catastrophe.' It also reported heavy 'collateral damage' from exchanges of gunfire with Palestinian militants who used homes, mosques and ambulances for cover.Īlso Saturday, a Palestinian man died of wounds sustained in clashes with the army earlier in the week, Gaza hospital officials said. The Israeli military said it had to secure the area for troops retrieving body parts of the five dead soldiers. officials said more than 1,000 people were left homeless. Dozens of homes and businesses were demolished, water pipes and electric cables were destroyed. Israeli troops left behind a trail of destruction in Rafah, where a Palestinian attack Wednesday killed five soldiers. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for a pair of deadly attacks on Israeli army vehicles that sparked the week's violence. Qureia described the meeting as 'very, very constructive.'Įarlier in Gaza, Israel helicopter gunships fired rockets at three buildings associated with the Islamic Jihad militant group, wounding four bystanders. 'They want to know more about it, of course.' 'I think that the Palestinians want to seize this opportunity,' Powell said after a 40-minute meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia. Indeed, CBS News Correspondent Richard Roth observed, 'It now appears inevitable that Israel will pull its settlers - and the troops supporting them - ouf of Gaza' due to public pressure and the escalating violence this week.Īt an economic conference in Jordan, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Saturday the Palestinians are willing to consider an Israeli pullout from Gaza depending on how Sharon revises the plan rejected by his party. 'We will not let Sharon lead us by the nose.' 'After months, the peace camp is awakening,' Yossi Beilin, head of the dovish Yahad Party, told The Associated Press. Some commentators drew parallels with the popular groundswell of criticism that preceded Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after an ill-fated 18-year occupation. 'I think many people decided to come out today because of the soldiers getting killed in Gaza this week,' said Tal Kfir, a 26-year-old student from Tel Aviv. Since Tuesday, 13 Israeli soldiers and 32 Palestinians have died, and more than 300 Palestinians have been wounded. While the protest was organized weeks ago, organizers said the latest fighting in Gaza gave the rally added weight. Other speakers included Ami Ayalon, a former director of the Shin Bet internal security service, and Yom Tov Samia, a former military commander responsible for Gaza. 'Eighty percent of our people want peace. 'This is a protest of the majority,' opposition leader Shimon Peres told the crowd in a fiery speech. Members of Sharon's Likud Party recently vetoed the pullout plan, although polls have shown a solid majority of Israelis favor the proposal.

Some demonstrators in Tel Aviv held placards in support of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has proposed withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, a volatile area where 7,500 Jewish settlers live among 1.3 million Palestinians. The third attack hit a transformer, knocking out power in the northern part of the city, home to about 40,000 people. One bystander was lightly wounded by shrapnel, medical workers said. The second strike hit a four-story building housing offices of a newspaper and research center affiliated with the militant Hamas group.

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