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Abbas calls for calm as israelis exit gaza { August 10 2005 }

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Abbas calls for calm as Israelis exit Gaza
Says smooth pullout will aid statehood bid

By Steven Erlanger
New York Times News Service
Published August 10, 2005


JERUSALEM -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday urged his people to ensure calm for Israel's pullout from Gaza, saying a smooth Israeli withdrawal would bolster the image of Palestinians in the world and hasten the coming of an independent Palestinian state.

In a televised speech at a special session of parliament in Gaza, Abbas called on Palestinian militants to keep to the cease-fire with Israel and work to prevent chaos, looting and the seizure of property.

"The withdrawal must take place in calm, in a civilized manner," he said. "We will be able to confirm to the world that we deserve a state and that this step is just the beginning, and not the end."

He urged Palestinians to avoid any provocations that could bring Israeli military might down on Gaza. "Let them go," he said. "Let us allow them to leave."

Israel has declared it illegal for its citizens to remain in Gaza after midnight Sunday. Beginning Aug. 17, the police and army will remove any Israelis who remain in Gaza settlements, forcibly if necessary, then pack up their belongings and destroy their homes.

Abbas also cautioned against exaggerated celebrations, because the Israeli withdrawal is a far cry from an end to the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, he said. "The Israelis are still occupying our land, and the road is still long ahead," he said.

He warned that Israel would try to use the Gaza pullout to justify retaining control over large parts of the West Bank, and said President Bush "listened to us and said that any change to the borders must be done as a result of an agreement between the two sides."

Israel will also pull out of four small settlements in the northern West Bank. But it remains uncertain whether the Israeli army will keep security control over that area or hand it over to the Palestinians. On Tuesday, the army declared part of the West Bank area a closed military zone, like Gaza, to try to prevent non-resident opponents of the pullout from entering it.

Abbas also vowed that legislative elections, which should have taken place in 2000 and were scheduled for mid-July, would now take place in January. The militant Islamic movement Hamas, which was angry about the July postponement, said it would take part in the January elections.

Gaza remains chaotic with open rivalries among Palestinian security services. About 200 masked, armed militants from Abbas' Fatah movement rallied outside parliament, demanding an end to recent efforts by the Palestinian Authority to arrest their members.

The mufti of Jerusalem, Akram Sabi, has also issued a religious ruling against disrupting the Israeli pullout.



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