Hundreds of Jewish settlers have been protesting outside the office of the Israeli Prime Minister against his government's plans to pull troops out of parts of the West Bank.

Settlers shouted: "We didn't vote for this!" and "Withdrawal will mean disaster!" as Benjamin Netanyahu updated his cabinet on recent discussions with the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright.

Right-wing protests in Jerusalem

Several West Bank settlements went on general strike and bussed municipal workers and students to Jerusalem for the protest.

One settler who handed out leaflets calling for Netanyahu to resign was arrested.

The settlers later demonstrated outside the US consulate in East Jerusalem, calling on Ms Albright to stop pressurising Israel to carry out the troop withdrawal.

Violence in Hebron

Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in Hebron - youths threw stones and soldiers fired rubber bullets.

A Hebron Palestinian takes aim at Israeli troops

More soldiers are supposed to leave the West Bank town under the Oslo peace accords. But despite US pressure and Arab protests, that still has not happened.

Netanyahu's right-wing cabinet conditionally agreed earlier this month to the withdrawal but is still debating the scope and timing of such a move.

However, Netanyahu has insisted no more land will be ceded until the Palestinians take tougher action against armed Islamic militants.

In a speech on Friday, he said that the West Bank was part of Israel proper - a comment attacked by a Palestinian minister, Hanan Ashrawi, as a direct contradiction of the peace process.

Washington has demanded a "significant" withdrawal to breathe life into the peace process stalled for nine months, largely over Netanyahu's right-wing policies.

Netanyahu and the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, are due to meet separately next month with US President Bill Clinton. The Israeli leader is under pressure to present his withdrawal plan at that time.

But Netanyahu said this weekend that Israel could not be pressured on such an issue and would not promise to have anything concrete to tell Clinton.

The Palestinians have warned that reported Israeli proposals to include only about 10% of the West Bank in the withdrawal would not be sufficient.

The cabinet said that before reaching a decision on the interim pullout, it must first decide what areas it considers vital to Israel's survival and so cannot be relinquished in any agreement.
 

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