World

Israel Greets First Kremlin Leader

April 27, 2005 / 7:26 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a historic first visit to Israel by a Kremlin leader Wednesday, hours after calling for a Mideast peace conference in Moscow this fall.

Putin arrived from Cairo, Egypt, where he proposed a Middle East peace conference in Moscow in the fall.

It's a sign of improving ties after decades of strain during the Soviet era, when Moscow backed Arab countries at war with the Jewish state, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger. But the visit has been overshadowed by Russia's decision to sell shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to Syria. Israel sees the sale as a threat; it says the missiles could wind up in the hands of Syrian-backed terrorist groups.

In other developments:

Thousands of Israelis poured into the Gaza Strip's main Jewish settlement bloc Wednesday to protest this summer's planned withdrawal, show support for the 8,000 settlers and bid farewell to the area Israel occupied for 38 years. But no more than half the number of protesters expected actually showed up.

Israeli police clashed with thousands of ultra-Orthodox protesters in Jerusalem, angry over what they said is the desecration of ancient Jewish graves by a road construction project in northern Israel. Demonstrators blocked streets with burning trash cans, and threw rocks and bottles at police.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has appointed a tough new security chief, who launched a crackdown against Islamic militants in the 1990s. Rashid Abu Shbak, who will be the head of preventive security, has been instructed to restore law and order. Abbas is under pressure from the U.S. and Israel to crack down on militants responsible for hundreds of suicide bombings and shooting attacks.

Israeli troops on Wednesday detained two Palestinian teenagers who tried to carry weapons and explosives through a West Bank checkpoint. The army said the youths were carrying a homemade gun and 11 small explosive devices in a bag at the Jalameh crossing near Jenin. The army said the boys were 15 and 16 years old. But speaking from the back of an army jeep, they said they are 14.
Putin will meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as Russia seeks to reassert its influence in the Middle East and play an increasing role in the peace process.

He was greeted at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv by Israeli Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, but did not make a statement there.

The Israeli army said Palestinian militants fired a mortar shell into a Jewish settlement near the Gaza rally. A soldier was injured by shrapnel.

The attack briefly disrupted the rally meant as a show of support for the settlers being uprooted from an area that Israel has occupied for 38 years.

Gaza settler leaders initially said they expected 100,000 people to turn out for the daylong event. However, various reports placed the number of those who attended at no more than 40-50,000, despite warm weather and the Passover holiday.

The first rocket landed just outside Neve Dekalim, several dozen yards away from the rally, the army said. Minutes later, a second rocket landed in a residential area of the settlement, causing no injuries, residents said. Television footage showed a rocket sticking out of the ground in a sandy area next to a playground.

Emily Amrussi, a spokeswoman for the settlers, said after the attacks that the event would go on. "Of course we are carrying on," she said. "This ... shows the connection between the Palestinian enemy and (Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon because this is a rally against him."

Cars and vans were flying protest banners saying, "Jews should not expel Jews," reports Berger. Some protesters carried orange balloons.

Protester Michael Goldman said the pullout is a reward for terror and won't accomplish anything.

"The Arabs want us dead, they don't want peace, they don't love us, they want to blow us up," Goldman said.
Some settler leaders have expressed hope that the protesters will stay in Gaza to resist the withdrawal. However, Avner Shimon, mayor of the Gaza settlements, said he expected the visitors to leave after Passover.

"People are coming to enjoy themselves, see the place and hug us and to tell us they are with us. I estimate that nobody will remain when it is over," he told Israel Army Radio.

Early Wednesday, the Israeli army closed the main crossing into the Gush Katif bloc of settlements to private cars, allowing only buses through. Because it expected 1,500 buses to head to Gush Katif.

Organizers were selling orange flags and T-shirts, symbols of opposition to the withdrawal. A procession through Gaza's seaside settlement began at midmorning, and a steady stream of people marched through the area.

Neve Dekalim resident Sylvia Mazuz said the festive atmosphere was misleading. "Our hearts are heavy," said Mazuz, 44, who has lived in the settlement for 14 years.

Mazuz, whose husband, four children and grandchildren all live in the settlement, said she has made no preparations for life after withdrawal and remains hopeful that the government will cancel the plan.

"We are waiting for salvation from God," she said, adding that she would resist the evacuation order solely through peaceful means.

Under the plan, Israel will withdraw from all 21 Gaza settlements as well as four small settlements in the West Bank. About 9,000 Jewish settlers are slated to be evacuated from their homes.

Sharon says the withdrawal will improve Israel's security while enabling him to cement Israeli control over large blocs of settlements in the West Bank.

The withdrawal is currently scheduled to begin in late July. But the government is considering a three-week delay that would push back the plan until Aug. 15. A formal decision is expected next week.