Jerusalem
Renewed violence in Gaza this week delayed the planned handover of several West Bank towns to Palestinian control. Face-to-face negotiations between Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian security advisor Mohammed Dahlan had been going well. But after Palestinians accused Israeli forces of shooting a girl in the border area, militants in Gaza began shelling Jewish settlements. Israeli officials then called off the handover, saying they wanted to make sure that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas could stop the violence before they gave him control of Ramallah and other towns. Meanwhile, 100,000 Jewish settlers this week demonstrated against Israels planned withdrawal from the Gaza Stripthe largest such rally ever.
