| More than 100,000 Israelis rallied Saturday night in favor of a pullout from the Gaza Strip, a massive show of strength by the long-dormant opposition movement. Saturday night's protest, led by the opposition Labor Party, followed a bloody week in Gaza in which 13 Israeli soldiers and 32 Palestinians were killed. Fighting continued early Sunday, as Israeli helicopters fired missiles at targets in Gaza City, knocking out power and causing widespread panic. Demonstrators packed Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed in 1995 by a Jewish extremist opposed to peace efforts, for Saturday's rally. Israeli media estimated the crowd at up to 150,000 people, one of the largest rallies by Israel's so-called peace camp since Rabin's death. Organizers hoped the strong showing would breathe new life into the opposition and help restart peace talks with the Palestinians, which have been stalled for months. "Exit from Gaza, begin talking," read a large poster over the main stage. Some demonstrators 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. Members of Sharon's Likud Party recently vetoed the pullout plan, although polls have shown a solid majority of Israelis favor the proposal. |