They are discussing possible actions to oppose the Prime Minister's plan to uproot Gaza's approximately 7,800 Jewish residents in a unilateral "disengagement" from the Palestinian Authority. The meeting is taking place in the Council's Jerusalem headquarters.
Meanwhile, Tzfat's (Safed) Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu yesterday called on the National Religious Party to leave the government coalition before Prime Minister Ariel Sharon boards a plane to his scheduled visit to Washington. Sharon is to meet with United States President George W. Bush.
The US, on the other hand, has expressed support for the removal of Jews from Gaza, but explained that it is not enough. In a press conference Wednesday night, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher called the Sharon statements on Gaza "good things", but commented, "[W]e all know that in the longer run, other steps are going to have to be taken on settlements in order to resolve the issues and get to that point where two states can live peacefully, side by side."
Meanwhile, Tzfat's (Safed) Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu yesterday called on the National Religious Party to leave the government coalition before Prime Minister Ariel Sharon boards a plane to his scheduled visit to Washington. Sharon is to meet with United States President George W. Bush.
The US, on the other hand, has expressed support for the removal of Jews from Gaza, but explained that it is not enough. In a press conference Wednesday night, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher called the Sharon statements on Gaza "good things", but commented, "[W]e all know that in the longer run, other steps are going to have to be taken on settlements in order to resolve the issues and get to that point where two states can live peacefully, side by side."