Knesset Members, prominent rabbis and leaders of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) addressed thousands of Jews Sunday night protesting against discussions being held between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Quartet Mideast envoy Tony Blair, who represented the U.S., Russia, United Nations and European Union.

A protest sign reads: Olmert, Israel is Not Your Private Property

Photo: Jonathan Stein
 
Photo: Jonathan Stein
 

The mass demonstration began with a march from the U.S. Consulate to the King David Hotel, where the three were meeting to discuss plans for the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Middle East summit to be held in Annapolis.

Many of the protestors carried signs saying, "The Olmert-Abu Bluff Agreement Will Blow Up in Our Faces!"

MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) spoke at the rally, saying, “Ehud [Olmert], Ehud [Barak], and Tzipi [Livni] are deceiving an entire people and leading all of us to the Annapolis trap while ignoring the facts on the ground.” 

Photo: Jonathan Stein

 
Photo: Jonathan Stein

 
MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) addresses the rally

Photo: Jonathan Stein
 

Steinitz derided plans to divide Jerusalem between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, saying that such plans “would bring bloody riots in the Old City in place of peace.”

MK Uri Ariel (NU/NRP) told reporters from the rally, “We’re telling Olmert: Stop selling the land of Israel, do not divide Jerusalem, do not even think of destroying Jewish towns, the land of Israel belongs to us, to the people of Israel.  You have no mandate for this.”

Photo: Jonathan Stein

 
Photo: Jonathan Stein

Rice, Olmert and Blair, who attended the Saban Conference the same evening, were meeting to thresh out "a declaration of principles" to be presented at the summit that protestors said would include a return to Israel's pre-1967 borders, termed by the late Labor party leader Abba Eban as "The Auschwitz borders," due to their vulnerability to Arab attacks. Protestors also rallied against the proposed division of the capital. 

Olmert is reportedly planning to release more terrorists --- this time with Jewish blood on their hands --- as another "good will gesture" to Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah gang leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).

Photo: Jonathan Stein

 
Photo: Jonathan Stein

PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has asked Israel to release 2,000 terrorist prisoners, but it is not clear how many of those Olmert will agree to free.

According to a source quoted by Haaretz, the prisoner release is needed partly "because in Annapolis there will not be solutions for the core issues." Since the "core issues" – such as the status of Jerusalem --- will not be on the table, said the source, the PA will need to show its population another accomplishment, such as the release of convicted terrorists.

Olmert said Sunday, however, that "core issues" will indeed be discussed in Annapolis.

A protestor caped in a Betar movement banner marches at the rally

Photo: Jonathan Stein
 
Determined to protect Jerusalem from the Israeli gov't, youth sing and dance

Photo: Jonathan Stein