Settlers challenge Sharon plans

The settlers want to show they cannot be ignored

Thousands of Jewish settlers and their supporters have staged a big protest in Jerusalem over plans to force them to leave Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants to press ahead despite his party's rejection of plans to start removing settlers early next year.

The demonstration in Jerusalem comes at a time of increasing political tension.

Amid fears of violence, Mr Sharon accused some right-wing opponents of trying to foment civil war.

More than 1,000 police were on hand in Jerusalem after warnings to protesters not to incite violence against the pull-out, the French news agency AFP reported.

Thousands who had travelled to Jerusalem for the demonstration went to pray at the Western Wall before converging on Zion Square.

Most were Orthodox Jews and many were teenagers, said the Associated Press.

A massive banner strung up there read: "Disengagement is tearing the people apart."

'Disturbing parallels'

Settlements are considered illegal under international law and Israel has committed itself to freezing settlement activity under the international peace plan known as the roadmap.

About 8,000 Jews live in 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, alongside 1.3m Palestinians.

We have been witnesses in the last few days to a very serious campaign of incitement Ariel Sharon

Israel is planning to pull all its settlers from Gaza and the troops that protect them as part of a disengagement plan. Israel will maintain control of Gaza's borders, coastline and airspace. Four West Bank settlements are also to be evacuated.

Under his plans, Mr Sharon - once a champion of the movement to settle captured land - would also evacuate four West Bank settlements.

Some settlers accuse Mr Sharon of acting dictatorially with his controversial disengagement plans and have urged the security forces to disobey implementation orders.

Mr Sharon responded on Sunday:

"We have been witnesses in the last few days to a very serious campaign of incitement.

"I would say that some of these calls are actually directed towards a civil war," he said.

The BBC's James Reynolds in Jerusalem says some people find the current political climate is disturbingly similar to that of late 1995 - when right-wing activists led an angry campaign against Yitzhak Rabin, the then prime minister, and his efforts to follow peace accords.

This culminated in Rabin's assassination by a right-wing extremist.