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Protests greet Mideast peace plan
(CNN) -- Radical Palestinian groups and Jewish settlers have both declared their opposition to proposals aimed at achieving peace in the Middle East outlined by leaders at a summit at Aqaba, Jordan. Hamas rejected Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's call to end the armed intifada against Israel -- although it said it might back a cease-fire. Meanwhile Jewish settlers' leaders reacted angrily to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposal to dismantle settlements. Tens of thousands rallied in Jerusalem's central Zion Square, filling the surrounding streets Wednesday evening, The Associated Press reported. Hard-line politicians addressing the rally, including some who are members of Sharon's ruling coalition, railed against Sharon's acceptance of a Palestinian state, warning that it would endanger Israel's existence. The demonstrators objected to a central plank of the plan -- a halt to settlement construction and a Palestinian state. Sharon said the state would control contiguous territory, implying that some settlements might have to be removed. Michael Semel, 24, a security guard from Jerusalem, told AP the Palestinians did not deserve a state because of the 32-month wave of violence. "Nobody rewarded al Qaeda for blowing up the Twin Towers," he said, referring to the World Trade Center, "so why are we giving these terrorists who murdered us a prize?" The reaction came after the summit at which Abbas and Sharon were joined by U.S. President George W. Bush and Jordan's King Abdullah II. Palestinian groups also had doubts about the plan. If Abbas is "going to collect the guns, that means a war without mercy," Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas spokesman, told CNN. "It's impossible to surrender our guns and to enter the Palestinian Authority jails again." Zahar, at the same time, said Hamas would continue to discuss with Abbas whether the group would accept his call for a cease-fire and an end to attacks against Israelis. Abbas has predicted he will get such a commitment from all the radical Palestinian groups within three weeks. "We must sit down and discuss the cease-fire," Zahar said. "We are talking and discussing the cease-fire." Islamic Jihad leader Sheikh Abdullah Shami went further. He said: "It is impossible to stop the struggle while we have the occupation ... Resistance and the struggle against the occupation is the right of the Palestinian people. "We don't trust the U.S. promises and the Zionist speeches. Our guns are legal as we are defending our people. Stopping the military actions means free victory for our enemies, which we and the Palestinian people don't accept." Abbas had called earlier Wednesday at the Aqaba summit for the intifada to end. (Abbas transcript) He said ending the uprising was necessary to establish an independent Palestinian state by 2005, a goal of the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace. (Interactive: The Middle East road map) When the three leaders spoke against a backdrop of the Red Sea, Sharon backed the formation of a Palestinian state and pledged his country would begin to remove unauthorized settlements. "In regard to the unauthorized outposts," Sharon said. "I want to reiterate that Israel is a society governed by the rule of law. Thus we will immediately begin to remove unauthorized outposts. "Permanent security requires peace." (Sharon transcript) But his words brought an angry reaction from the settlers. A settler spokesman told CNN that residents would "fight with all their might against the evacuation of the outposts." A senior Israeli official could not say how many settlements will be dismantled, only that several will be removed. (Full story) In an interview with CNN Monday, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a Hamas leader, said Hamas could consider stopping its attacks on Israelis if Israel ended its military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and what Palestinians call assassinations of militants. "If they are going to stop targeting our civilians, then we are ready to stop targeting what they call their civilians," Rantisi said. Abbas met with Hamas leaders May 22 in Gaza, and is expected to meet with them again after he returns from the summit in Jordan. The U.S. State Department describes both Hamas and Islamic Jihad as terrorist organizations. Hamas's military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians as well as strikes against the Israeli military. Sharon said Israel strongly supported Bush's vision of two states living side by side in peace and security and welcomed the chance to resume negotiations with the Palestinians. "It is in Israel's interest not to govern the Palestinians, but for the Palestinians to govern themselves," Sharon said. At Wednesday's summit, Bush held individual talks with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders as well as a trilateral meeting before the statements. The president reiterated his approval of the removal of unauthorized settlements and the cessation of terrorism. The Holy Land must be shared between the states of Palestine and Israel, Bush said, and "both must make tangible, immediate steps toward this vision." "The issue of settlements must be addressed for peace to be achieved," said Bush, who also called for an end to terrorist attacks. He said the United States would provide support for a new Palestinian security force. The president ordered U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to make the Mideast peace process their priority. (Bush transcript) After the summit, Bush said he believes there is an opening to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal because both sides are "sick and tired of death." (Full story) Abdullah urged leaders to reinvigorate hope for Palestinians and Israelis by acting on the road map. "We simply cannot afford the alternative," he said. "Dreams alone cannot fulfill hopes." (Abdullah transcript) CNN Correspondents Kelly Wallace in Gaza, John Vause in Jerusalem and John King in Aqaba contributed to this report. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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