Israel Parliament OKs Settler Compensation
Israel’s parliament moved to give generous compensation packages to 8,800 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip and West Bank for leaving their homes, in a boost for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s drag-down fight to withdraw from Gaza after nearly 40 years of occupation.The compensation bill sailed comfortably through the Knesset in a preliminary vote with the help of the opposition Labor Party, but the 64-44 vote reflected the deep division within Sharon’s own camp and the fierce opposition of the politically influential settler movement.Full Story