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Palestinian leader promises freedom after Israeli withdrawal
RAFAH, Gaza Strip -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas promised freedom, jobs and homes for the people of Gaza once Israel completes its pullout.an RPG in every closet! A Pony in every Garage! Hours before he spoke Friday at Gaza's abandoned airport, an Israeli bulldozer demolished the first Jewish settlement, clearing land for Palestinian development. Expected to start as soon as the year 2038 In the settlement of Gadid, Israeli troops expelled the last settlers holed up in a synagogue, crashing through a flaming barricade of cars, wooden planks and garbage bins. Then, Israel suspended evicting settlers for the Jewish Sabbath, having evacuated 87 percent of Gaza's settlers in just 2 1/2 days. All but four settlements were vacant. Smiling and waving to a cheering crowd at the closed Gaza International Airport, Abbas said Israel's departure was bringing "historic days of joy" to the Palestinians. In his first major speech since Israel began pulling out on Monday, he promised that the airport, whose runways were destroyed by Israel in fighting in 2000, would again become a gateway for Palestinians And a major waystation for Bombers everywhere! -- though that will require Israel's blessing. Abbas also pledged the Palestinian Authority would rebuild homes demolished by Israel during the past five years of conflict. He promised to reserve 5 percent of government jobs for the disabled, mainly war wounded. and 95% to corrupt thugs and murderers. He told the crowd that Israel was quitting Gaza because of Palestinian "sacrifices" and "patience," and he promised the withdrawal would lead to further pullouts from the West Bank and Jerusalem. He also promised everyone valuable Florida swampland too! Earlier, hundreds of Palestinians from the town of Rafah offered prayers of thanks in sandy open ground within sight of two deserted settlements, celebrating the coming return of land -- captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war -- that became home to 8,500 Jewish settlers. Drooling over the houses which would soon be destroyed. "We won, so we came to thank God for our victory," said Abdel Raouf Barbar, an official of Abbas's Fatah party. With parliamentary elections scheduled in January, the party is competing with the Islamic group Hamas to claim credit for the Israeli withdrawal. A bulldozer crushed flimsy caravan homes in the first demolition of an abandoned Jewish settlement, and the army prepared to complete the anguishing task of uprooting the last Israelis from Gaza next week before moving on to evacuations in the West Bank. Posted by: Crump Joluting4822 2005-08-19 |
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