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Your World Today

17 of 21 Gaza Settlements Now Evacuated; U.S. and Gaza Relations; Red Sea Rocket Attacks

Aired August 19, 2005 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Scenes of defiance and sadness as Israeli troops empty another settlement in Gaza.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Palestinians celebrating the pullout as their leader, Mahmoud Abbas, promises an era of opportunity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But we cannot pass this opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: A tough decision for Jewish donors in the U.S. as they choose cooperation over confrontation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The attendants came up to me and said, "Mate, do you mind if I call you 'mate'? And I said, 'No, that's absolutely fine, mate.'"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Australians saying, no way, mate. The ban on an Australian colloquialism recognized around the world is now officially overturned.

It's 7:00 p.m. in Gaza, 2:00 in the morning over there in Canborough, Australia, mate.

VERJEE: Good day, mate. I'm Zain Verjee.

Welcome to our viewers throughout the world, as well as the United States. This is CNN international and YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: One by one, Jewish settlements in Gaza are becoming deserted towns as Israeli forced remove die-hard protesters who have been resisting orders to leave. The disengagement plan is on hold until Sunday, now, of course, observing the Jewish Sabbath.

VERJEE: While settlers grieve as they leave the land they once called home for generations, Palestinians are celebrating. We have correspondents covering both angles. Ben Wedeman is in the town of Rafah.

CLANCY: And John Vause will be joining us there on the border of Gaza and Israel at the Kissifum Crossing. Let's begin with John Vause's report on the evacuation of the Gadid settlement. There was less violence between Israeli police and angry settlers than on Thursday, but it was just as painful.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Early morning, and Israeli police bulldozed their way into the Gadid settlement. On the main road, burning tires and other debris did little to slow their advance. But in this small community of 300 or so, all but six families had already packed and left.

In their place, more than 100 protesters, waiting on rooftops. Most, though, had gathered in the synagogues. Police allowed them to pray, and then it was time.

One by one, they were carried out. Many in tears. Others kicking and screaming. But mostly there was anger.

"How can we have such brothers!" this man yelled at the police. "Look around at what you will destroy," said another. They urged the policemen and women to refuse their orders. None did.

However they went, eventually every last one was packed onto buses and taken back to Israel. Most likely never to return to Gaza.

And then, a symbolic moment. The synagogue's torah scrolls were removed. Police and the last few residents singing the Israeli national anthem, together. In just hours, the 17th Gaza settlement was cleared. There are only four more to go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The Gadid settlement is now locked shut, guarded by the Israeli army not just from Palestinian militants, but also from looters. And also to ensure that the settlers and the protesters do not go back -- Jim.

CLANCY: John, I want to take you back 24 hours to those violent scenes we saw at Kfar Darom. Now, today was much more peaceful. But what's to happen with those settlers? You know, there were reports there that they were hurling acid at the Israeli army.

VAUSE: Jim, we now know a little bit more about what was thrown at the Israeli army and predominantly at the police who were in charge of that operation. There is some new video which has come to light which I am sure the Israeli police will be interested in looking at.

It shows some very close video shots of what was going on, on that -- on the rooftop there. We now understand that the chemical was a mix of paint thinner and other chemicals. It caused a great deal of discomfort to the police officers. They stripped down naked at one stage.

And we now know that 244 people are being held in jail right now. More than 100 of those are minors under 18 years old -- Jim.

CLANCY: You talked a little bit about what's happening at the settlements. Now, what comes next, not only for the ones that have already been abandoned, but there are still, some like Nes Harim, that are still populated.

VAUSE: Yes, Nes Harim happens on Monday. We are told there'll be two more Jewish settlements evacuated on Sunday. Nes Harim amongst the final ones on Monday.

But already, the Israeli government has sent the bulldozers into (INAUDIBLE) in the south of the Gaza Strip. Bulldozers are demolishing the homes of the settlers.

Now, under a deal worked out between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, Israel has decided that these homes will be destroyed. This caused a great deal of angst amongst the Israeli government whether to leave the houses, whether to destroy them. Many were worried about these kinds of images, watching these houses being destroyed. Although, it was an argument on the right side of politics, if you like, about the images of Palestinian militants flying the flags of Hamas from the homes of Israelis.

But ultimately, it seem the swaying factor in all of this was really the Palestinian Authority asking for these homes to be demolished. And the reason for that is that this western-style housing just isn't suitable for the Palestinians. They need high-rise housing because there are so many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip -- Jim.

CLANCY: John Vause, reporting to us there live from just outside Gaza. Thank you, John.

VERJEE: While settlers say good-bye to the land they called home for generations, Palestinians are celebrating. Hundreds of them offered prayers of thanks.

Ben Wedeman joins us now live from the town of Rafah near the Egyptian border.

Ben, the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, spoke at a rally there just moments ago. What did he say?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Zain, as the Israelis say good-bye to their homes in Gaza, the Palestinians are saying good riddance to the Jewish settlers who have been here since the early 1970s. And now Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, is taking a fairly diplomatic tone.

He is focussing more on the future than on the past. And like a politician, he's making promises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In the brave government (ph) of Rafah that had given (INAUDIBLE) sacrifices. The houses were destroyed and lands were bulldozed. And we promise all of you that whoever had his house destroyed will have a new house rebuilt for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: Now Zain, it's significant that he made this speech here at the Rafah airport. This airport was closed at the end of 2001, well -- a year after, in fact, the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising.

This, for the previous leader of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, was a symbol. A symbol of the Palestinian state that he tried so hard to create, but in the end, essentially, failed. And Mahmoud Abbas is trying to get that process of state creation back on track.

You also have to keep in mind that there's an election coming up here in January of 2007. Mahmoud Abbas is competing against some very difficult opponents, like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who say they can do a better job -- Zain.

VERJEE: Ben Wedeman reporting from Rafah. Thank, Ben -- Jim.

CLANCY: Now, of course these developments in Gaza being closely followed in the United States, which has a Jewish population second only in size to Israel's. Many Americans Jews want the Gaza experiment to succeed. And they are putting their pocketbooks on the line as we hear now from our Mary Snow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Watching the eviction of Israeli settlers from Gaza evokes strong emotions, particularly among Jews in the United States.

MORT ZUCKERMAN, PUBLISHER AND DEVELOPER: What is happening now, it's a human drama that just breaks your heart.

SNOW: Mort Zuckerman, a publisher and leader in a number of Jewish organizations, is among those who got involved in this human drama in what some may consider a surprising way, by raising millions for Palestinians in Gaza. Surprising as he's been a strong supporter of Israeli causes, and a strong critic of the Palestinian Authority.

At issue, 800 acres of greenhouses in Gaza that grow all kinds of produce. They are vital to the region's economy. Without money to keep high-tech irrigation systems running, it would have meant that when the Israelis left, those greenhouses would cease functioning.

ZUCKERMAN: The odds maybe one in 10, but we cannot pass this opportunity to make this a symbol of what might come out of a cooperative and constructive relationship rather than a destructive relationship. SNOW: Zuckerman says despite skepticism, he and other Jewish business leaders raised millions within days. The bulk of the money for the greenhouses was secured by another private group.

Donors see the greenhouses as a symbol of hope, although some of them were already dismantled.

DANIEL AYALON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: I understand that so far that 80 percent is still intact and could be transferred over intact for the Palestinians who can take over right away.

SNOW: Officials say keeping the greenhouses running will mean immediate jobs for about 4,000 Palestinians, with thousands more potentially added.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: And now to your views on Israel's Gaza disengagement.

VERJEE: We'd really like to hear from you. So please email your thoughts to our mailbox, which is YWT@CNN.com. And we're going to share some of them with our viewers around the world and in the United States later in the program.

CLANCY: All right.

In another story that we are following this hour, U.S. naval ships in the Red Sea appear to have been the target of a series of rocket attacks this day. Three missiles failed to hit their targets. Instead, though, a Jordanian soldier was killed.

Matthew Chance is in Eilat in Israel. That's where one of the three rockets landed. He joins us by videophone with an update with the latest on the attacks.

Right now, any other damages reported other than that one warehouse in Jordan?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there were three rocket attack, Jim, and that warehouse was the result of apparently the rocket, one of the rockets missing the U.S. Ashland and hitting that warehouse pier and killing at least one Jordanian soldier, and seriously injuring, according to the Jordanians, at least one other person.

There were two other rockets that were fired as well. The first -- the second one, rather, also hit a site inside Jordan. In fact, it was a public hospital, or the grounds of a public hospital. It doesn't seem that anybody was injured as a result of that.

The third rocket, though, did land inside Israeli territory. Close, in fact, to this location. Close to the Eilat airport. And, in fact, it hit a taxi as it was driving close to the perimeter of that airport.

The rocket did not explode. It damaged the car badly, and damaged the road and left a crater in the road where it struck. But it didn't explode. And it didn't kill the driver of the taxi either.

In fact, Israeli media have spoken to that driver. And he's apparently OK. So it was a very lucky escape for him.

Nevertheless, Israeli authorities and the Jordanians say they are working together on this to try and get to the bottom of who carried out these attacks. It seems that the majority of that investigation, though, is going on inside Aqaba, the town across the Red Sea that you can see behind me, but where Egyptian -- sorry, Jordanian security forces have sealed off that town of Aqaba and are souring the area in an attempt to try and find those responsible -- Jim.

CLANCY: Now, the U.S. warships in question were on naval maneuvers, or had been before they came into port with the Jordanian navy. Where are those ships now, those U.S. ships now?

CHANCE: Well, those ships in the moments -- in the hours, rather, after the attacks took place, they moved out of port in Aqaba and moved out to sea, out to the Red Sea, just across here to the right of the screen. They've moved out there.

They are out of our vision at the moment. But apparently, they are still engaged in maneuvers with the Jordanian security forces.

CNN has spoken to the naval command, the U.S. naval command responsible for this area. And they say that these ships were here not just as part of Jordanian military maneuvers, but also part of the global operation against terrorism, and as part of the operation in Iraq. And so this is a base these kinds of ships often come to.

CLANCY: Matthew Chance, live by videophone from Eilat. Our thanks to you, Matthew.

VERJEE: Benedict XVI has some big shoes to fill on his first trip abroad as pope.

CLANCY: That's right. And still ahead, the memory of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, accompanies the new pontiff as he visits a synagogue in his homeland.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back. You are watching an hour of world news here on CNN International.

A touch of politics and symbolism as Pope Benedict XVI continues a visit to his German homeland.

Alessio Vinci joins us now from Cologne in Germany.

Alessio, a lot of people have got to be comparing this pope and his predecessor.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: That is correct, Zain. And, you know, from the very beginning, Benedict XVI said that he wanted to make dialogue with other religions a centerpiece of his papacy. And we are already seeing an evidence of this here in Cologne.

The pope is planning to meet tomorrow with Muslim leaders, as well as leaders of other Catholic -- other Christian denominations. But today, he became the second pope, modern pope, to enter a Jewish place of worship. But also, of course, the first German pope inside a German synagogue. And that alone, of course, is a significant event.

And the synagogue was destroyed before World War II. The 40,000- strong Jewish community was largely wiped out. And today, the pope said of those terrible events of World War II must awaken our conscience.

And now, meanwhile, Cologne continues to be filled with pilgrims that are coming here from all around the world. It is raining here today. Probably people, of course, are hoping the weather will improve in the coming days. But certainly, many eager pilgrims here to know more about the new pope.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI (voice over): Vatican officials say Benedict's pontificate will be one of concepts and words. So those waiting for dramatic gestures may be disappointed. But will the hundreds of thousands in Cologne, be captured by the new pope's low-key style, or will they miss the charisma of John Paul II?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A pope is a pope. And as long as he does just a good job, no hostility.

VINCI: Young pilgrims from Poland, the native land of Benedict's predecessor, eager to know more about him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We will listen to him very carefully, what he will say to us. We are waiting for it. And to check.

VINCI: The success of Pope Benedict's first international trip will be measured in part by his ability to connect with the hundreds of thousands who have come to Cologne.

REV. SCOTT ARDINGER, ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA: It was incredible. I mean, the young people were chanting, you know, "Benedetto, Benedetto."

It was as if the faith of the young was in the Holy Father. The whole time, everyone said, "Well, we loved John Paul II." We did as a man, but it really was the Holy Father. He's our father.

And they -- I have felt no morale drop, at all, really. In some ways I thought maybe it would be different, but I don't sense that at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just like Pope Benedict said at the funeral, he's watching us from his window in heaven. So we have a stronger sense that Pope -- that John Paul the Great is with us. Greater now than it was before.

So we have two popes with us, John Paul II in heaven, and John Paul -- or Benedict with us now at World Youth Day.

VINCI (on camera): Nearly five months after his death, the late John Paul II clearly remains in the hearts and minds of many Catholics here. After all, he was the founder of World Youth Day.

But look at this crowd. Look at the throngs of young Catholics from all around the world who came here to attend this event here in Cologne. And it seems the new pope, too, has no trouble drawing a crowd.

(voice over): Most came here on a spiritual journey. But some are taking the opportunity to make new friends as well.

Luis is from Brazil, and he is trying to barter his bracelet with a young teenager from England.

(on camera): So you wanted to give her the bracelet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes. She wants the bracelet. And I will only give her if she gives me a kiss.

VINCI: Just a kiss?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, just a kiss. It's simple.

VINCI: OK. Do you think the new pope would approve of what you said? What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

CHANCE (voice over): But Luis says the new pope is a lot like John Paul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This new pope is -- was the right hand of the last one.

CHANCE (on camera): Which one do you like better? I mean, does it make a difference for you that the old pope is not here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes a little difference, because I -- when I was born, he was the pope, yes. But, no, it's not a lot of difference.

CHANCE (voice over): This weekend, Pope Benedict faces his biggest challenge yet: a vigil Saturday night, his first opportunity to interact directly with the crowd at an open field outside Cologne, where Sunday, he will say mass for up to one million of the faithful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI: The main sentiment here, Zain, appears to be one of, let's give the pope some time to get accustomed to his new role as head of the Roman Catholic Church. But the question, of course, remains, how much he does, will he enjoy this proximity with large crowds -- Zain.

VERJEE: Alessio Vinci reporting. Thank, Alessio -- Jim.

CLANCY: Well, let's check on some of the stories that are making news in the United States.

Dennis Rader has begun serving his sentence as the so-called BTK, or bind, torture and kill, murders that terrorized Wichita, Kansas, for 17 years. Rader arrived at a maximum security prison in El Dorado, Kansas. He's been sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms with no chance of parole for 175 years.

The woman who began a protest because of her son's death in Iraq is now caring for her ailing mother. Cindy Sheehan returned to California after hearing her 74-year-old mother had suffered a stroke. Sheehan has staged a vigil near President Bush's Texas ranch for nearly two weeks.

And coming up shortly, we will hear from the parents of some of those who have lost children in Iraq and get their views on the war.

VERJEE: Still ahead, also, we are going to check in on the world's financial markets.

CLANCY: Also coming up, a verdict in connection with the September 11 terror attacks announced in Germany.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: The first person ever tried in connection with the September 11 terror attacks has been jailed for a maximum seven years after a retrial in Germany. A Hamburg court found Mounir el- Motassadeq of Morocco guilty of belonging to a terrorist organization. That verdict followed a year-long retrial at which prosecutors tried but failed to prove the defendant was also an accessory to the 2001 terror attacks in the U.S.

Motassadeq's first trial ended with convictions on both trials. But then the outcome was overturned on appeal.

VERJEE: It's time to check on what's moving the markets in the U.S. and in Europe.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

CLANCY: We're going to be updating our top stories coming up.

VERJEE: And then, a mother's grief has fueled antiwar protests and counter-demonstrations near the U.S. president's vacation home. We are going to speak to two parents who have also lost a son in Iraq to see where they stand on the war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY here on CNN International. I'm Jim Clancy. VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee. Here are some of the top stories we're following. The disengagement plan is on hold until Sunday as Israeli Jews observe the Jewish Sabbath. The Gaza pullout will resume on Sunday. Police say 85 percent of Gaza settlers have been evacuated. Earlier, troops and police used bulldozers to break through burning barricades to evacuate the Gaza settlement of Gadid. They've cleared out 17 of 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza.

Now this has been a day of celebrations for the Palestinians in Gaza. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas addressing a large crowd at the airport in the town of Rafah near the Egyptian border. Abbas said the exit was a result of the patience and the sacrifice of the Palestinian people. He said the next task is to build a successful, productive society in Gaza so it becomes a model of civilization for the rest of the world.

An al Qaeda-linked group claims it's behind three rocket attacks apparently targeting U.S. Navy. Two missiles landed in the Jordanian port of Aqaba, with one striking a military warehouse and killing a Jordanian soldier. A third rocket landed in a road near the airport in Eilat, Israel. Jordan's government says the rockets were fired from a warehouse in Aqaba.

CLANCY: In New York, the United Nations is remembering the deadly bombing two years ago of its Baghdad headquarters. Secretary- General Kofi Annan saying that August 19th will always be a date laden with sorrow for the United Nations. He noted, no one has ever been held to account for the tragedy. The blast killed 22 people, including veteran diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello. The U.N. temporarily pulled out its staff from Iraq after the attack. Today, it has 73 staff members in Iraq, compared to some 300 before that bombing.

VERJEE: Intensifying debate in the United States over the course of the Iraq war, Vice President Dick Cheney, in an appearance in Missouri, insisted again on the need to stay the course in Iraq, calling the war a critical front in the war on terror. He's expressing sympathy for families of foreign soldiers who face irreplaceable losses, but says America must not stray from a difficult and necessary cause. More than 1,800 Americans have been killed in the fighting, and thousands more wounded.

CLANCY: Now the mother of one of those fallen soldiers, who's become something of a lightning rod for the anti-war movement, is temporarily giving up her campaign outside the ranch of the vacationing President George W. Bush. Cindy Sheehan left Crawford, Texas, to fly to Los Angeles, be alongside her 74-year-old mother, who has suffered a stroke. Sheehan says she'll be back as soon as possible to press her demand to speak with the president about the war. But many of her supporters are remaining behind there, in Crawford, Texas.

Now we're going to talk with two people whose families have also made the ultimate sacrifice. They've lost sons to the war in Iraq. But they find themselves on very different sides of this debate. Rose Gentle, who opposes the war, joins us from Glasgow, Scotland. And Iraq war supporter Gary Qualls joins us from Crawford, Texas, as well. I want to thank both of you for being with us.

Rose, ladies first. I want to begin with you and just ask you. Did your son support the war? Did he feel like he was doing the right thing?

ROSE GENTLE, OPPONENT OF IRAQ WAR: As (INAUDIBLE) war was, a son just saved up for the sake of -- he thought he was going to get a treat. (INAUDIBLE), they couldn't tell you.

CLANCY: But he knew he was in the military.

GENTLE: He was in the military. And my son died. If he'd fought for (INAUDIBLE) country, that to be (INAUDIBLE) enough. But he didn't. He was fighting for the lives of George Bush and Tony Blair.

CLANCY: You really believe that's what he was fighting for? He wasn't fighting for his country? He wasn't fighting in a global war against terror?

GENTLE: No. Our boys went into Iraq on the base of lies.

CLANCY: You believe that it's all lies.

GENTLE: That's right, (INAUDIBLE).

CLANCY: Mr. Qualls, this is what we have heard from some of the people, some of the parents of young men who have lost their lives in Iraq, and many other Americans. Mr. Qualls, you stand there holding a white cross with your son's name on it. Your thoughts?

GARY QUALLS, SUPPORTER OF IRAQ WAR: Yes, sir. I come up here the other day. I had to sit there and listen to all the groups from Cindy Sheehan's group. I looked at them, and I did not agree with what they were doing. They did not have my son's name out here on one of these crosses. They knew that I was here. And they come out here and placed this cross on the ground right in front of me.

Not once did they ever ask me for my permission to use my son's name for their political agendas and their advertising, or my family name. That wasn't right. Just the other night, I come back after I finished another interview, and I repossessed my son's cross. It's got his name on it. It belongs to him and my family.

CLANCY: The grief certainly belongs to your family. What would your son want you to do?

QUALLS: Well, actually, my son, he gave everything that he could. He put his best foot forward, and that's the way he's been taught all his life. He had volunteered four times as a Marine reservist, and finally he was accepted to go fight for our country. He also witnessed what happened on 9/11. And he knows as well as I, and my youngest son -- that's my whole family -- that we can't afford to keep sitting around and wait for another 3,000, or another 3,000, or another 3,000.

My son also gave up college to go protect his friend's backs. Plus, he also has the paperwork that I have at home, where he put in for a service change to go from a marine reserve to the regular army. He was wanting to go special forces. I have that at home, as well. Plus, the mission he went on, he volunteered for that, too. Everything he did reminds me of what our forefathers have done. For they run from oppression, they come to this country to be a free people, practice their freedom of religion and their freedoms of speech. And yet, whenever it comes time for them to stand up, they also put their best foot forward.

My son has stood up for all soldiers, all fallen soldiers, from the past all the way up to the present. And now, we have to all stand up and keep saying positive things on their behalf. Not to discredit them, and not to bring up morale boosters.

CLANCY: All right. Rose Gentle is clear on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Rose, you hear Gary's words there. It's a responsibility to stand up. I mean, to honor the sacrifice that was made by your son.

GENTLE: I'm proud of boy, and I'm proud of every one of the troops that's been in Iraq. But half these boys had signed up before all these lies have came out. And no (INAUDIBLE), if you look at Americans, they're telling the truth as well. They shouldn't be there. They don't want to be there. They're getting it constantly every day. Even the media's are talking, saying why are we here.

And I can (INAUDIBLE) with what Cindy Sheehan is doing. And if George Bush is proud of his troops and proud country, why wouldn't that man meet Cindy? He's like Tony Blair. He won't meet me. If he's proud of his country, meet the mother. We are proud of all their boys. Where was the weapons of mass destruction? Where was the 45 minutes that we could have (INAUDIBLE)? All their lies are based on fear. (INAUDIBLE) number ten, we'll tell you. The (INAUDIBLE) say the first troops have gone down, he's bringing Tony Blair and the rest of the government down with him.

CLANCY: Rose.

GENTLE: That what's it is, it's based on lies.

CLANCY: You did see what happened on September the 11th. Do you think THAT because that happened in the United States, because it was more serious than what you just saw happening in London, that that's one of the reasons that you're standing up now against the war?

GENTLE: I'm standing up because of the base of the lies that the boys have been killed on. There's more people getting killed now because of what's happening in Iraq. I mean, my heart goes out to everybody that gets killed. But it's just going to constantly getting worse the more we are in Iraq.

CLANCY: Gary Qualls...

QUALLS: Yes, sir.

CLANCY: You have referenced September the 11th, your son's willingness to go into the United States Military, to volunteer, to put himself in harm's way. Do you think that the politicians were honest about the Iraq war? Does it matter?

QUALLS: Yes, sir. Because there's films and proof that -- and they know from the past that Saddam did have weapons of mass destruction. He'd used the chemical warfares already to wipe out a lot of the Kurds. Plus, his scientists, the ones that have willfully stepped forward and spoke. They have also admitted that Saddam was in the middle of trying to develop and create a nuclear bomb.

And even President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore admitted this, and so did his whole administration. And if it were not for the U.N. reaching forward and trying to tell Saddam every time before they come up for an inspection, we would have found them. You take for an example if you were a drug dealer, and I was a police officer, and you had drugs at your house, and I told you I'm fixing to come inspect your house tomorrow, are you going to have drugs at your house?

CLANCY: Gary, let me ask you a quick question. You know, everybody's got a different opinion. And that's their right. Do you think that President Bush should meet with Cindy Sheehan or not?

QUALLS: I believe he's already spoke with her. And she has a personal vendetta and a self-centered way to do this. She's not speaking for our troops.

CLANCY: So she's using it.

QUALLS: And she's not (INAUDIBLE) positive output. Yes, sir. I highly believe. I've sat here and watched, and I visited with her.

Let me give the final word here to Rose Gentle.

GENTLE: Cindy Sheehan is sticking up for troops. Cindy Sheehan gets thousands of letters from American troops. I get them. And they have told us to carry on because we don't know why the hell we are out there, and that is the letters we receive. He should meet that mother. If he met that mother, when that boy first got killed -- look at his (INAUDIBLE). We see the lies that are coming out now. Why has he not got the decency and the (INAUDIBLE) to meet her, instead of (INAUDIBLE).

CLANCY: Rose Gentle and Gary Qualls, I want to thank you both for being with us to convey our condolences for the loss both of your families have suffered. Thank you.

GENTLE: Thank you, sir. And God bless America.

VERJEE: We want to get more perspective now on that debate. CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield joins us now from New York. Jeff, two sons lost, two very different views. What struck you about that debate? JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: What struck me, and this may sound unfeeling, is that the pain suffered by a parent losing a child, under any circumstances, is unparalleled. It is the worst thing probably that can happen to anyone. It does not tell us whether or not the views that those parents have are necessarily correct. I mean, both of these parents can't be right about the war. And both of them suffered the worse loss a parent can have.

When you look at Cindy Sheehan, and you ask what's happened, I think it's true, for instance, that her presence galvanized the people who, for a long time, had been against the war, who were political opponents of George W. Bush, who was the kind of symbol that in a media age gets traction. But I don't think Cindy Sheehan's appearance, as opposed to other issues, is what's changing the opinion about the United States about the war.

VERJEE: Why won't the president meet with her?

GREENFIELD: I don't know. But I'll tell you what I found interesting. Chuck Hagel is a Republican senator from Nebraska, long an opponent of the war, the most vociferous or public opponent of the war, possibly going to run for president next time. He has said, yes, he should have met with her. But I also noticed that a much more conservative Republican senator on the war issue, George Allen of Virginia, he's saying, and who also has some presidential stars in his eyes, is saying, you now, if it would have been me, I'd have met with her. Whether or not they felt that if you did this, particularly someone who had emerged as a strong opponent of the war and an ally of liberal and left groups, you were somehow opening the flood gates to meeting with everybody who wanted to meet with you, I don't know.

But what's interesting to me, is, while I can't read the president's mind, there are people on his side of the aisle saying, this is not a public relations success. He should have met with her early and just stopped this, because everybody knows that there's a platoon of reporters in Crawford, Texas, covering the president's vacation with not much to do. So this has gotten an enormous amount of attention.

VERJEE: CNN senior political analyst Jeff Greenfield. Thank, Jeff.

GREENFIELD: Okay.

CLANCY: We're going to take a short break. Still ahead, we're going to open our mail bag and let you in on, well, what some of the others among you have had to say.

VERJEE: Also coming up, the future for Palestinians as Israelis pull out from Gaza. Palestinians are looking forward to moving into the land and building their lives there. That story just ahead.

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CLANCY: Welcome back. You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY. That's an hour of international news right here on CNN. Well, the Gaza disengagement plan on hold now until Sunday. That is allowing Israeli Jews to observe the Jewish Sabbath. Eight-five percent of the Jewish settlers in Gaza have now been evacuated in a lightning operation that was to have lasted weeks longer. While Israeli settlers are grieving, Palestinians have been, in some cases, celebrating.

For more on what is ahead for the Palestinians, let's go to Yasser Abd Rabbo. He is with the Palestinian Organization. Also one of the people who put forward the Geneva Accords, a full written plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Thank you so much for being with us.

Your thoughts this day. We have heard Mahmoud Abbas, the president, saying very clearly that this is a time for Palestinians to protect what they have and to build for the future.

YASSER ABD RABBO, EXEC, CMTE., PLO: Yes, that's right. I think that it's an opportunity for some Palestinian people. But also it's an opportunity for the whole world. We should proceed forwards towards continuing this process that started with Gaza. You know that Gaza presents only five percent of all the Palestinian-occupied territories. We need to go towards a comprehensive solution, a final settlement for the conflict, and to start negotiating the issues related to the establishment of a Palestinian independent state, under territories occupied since 1967. Mainly, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and also to resolve the problems of Jerusalem, of refugees. We need partnership between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Unilateral steps are not enough to solve this conflict, and we need negotiations between the two sides. That's why the role of the American administration, of the international court is needed at this moment.

CLANCY: All right, at the same time, the unilateral step has been taken by the Sharon government. And in many ways, the Israeli public, and the world at large, the looking to see the unilateral steps taken by the Palestinians as a whole to build Gaza, to build a place that's not chaos, but something that, as the president said this day, is going to be an example, a model for the world to see.

RABBO: Absolutely, and that's why our leadership, our Palestinian authority, had declared that we are preparing for general elections in the coming few months. We are taking steps in order to bring law and order to Gaza and to all the Palestinian areas where the Palestinian Authorities are responsible.

But, we need, also, to see that Gaza is really free. Until now, what happened is that there was an evacuation of the settlers. That is an end to the colonization of Gaza. But we didn't see an end to an occupation, because the crossings between Gaza and the outer world, between Gaza and Egypt -- the passage between Gaza and the West Bank, these issues are not resolved.

CLANCY: All right.

RABBO: If we do not have a control over these crossings, Gaza will turn to be a big jail. And the development of Gaza, the economic progress of Gaza and of all other Palestinian territories, will not go forward.

CLANCY: All right, Yasser Abd Rabbo, we have to leave it there. I want to thank you very much for joining us here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

RABBO: Thank you very much.

VERJEE: Now, we've asked you to e-mail us your views on Israel's Gaza disengagement.

CLANCY: And you have. Here's some of what you had to say.

Vince Yost in the U.S. offers this: "Every great nation gives back conquered land. The U.S. gave Japan back to the Japanese, the U.S. and allies gave Germany back to the Germans. And so if Israel wants to be considered great, it must stop expanding and learn to give back land to the Palestinians."

VERJEE: Lou Taylor in the U.S. writes: "They're tearing down the homes in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian people shouldn't worry. Bush will work the American people to death to build them some more. Bush will give billions to Israel and the Palestinian people, while cutting hundreds of thousands of the poorest of the poor and disabled in this country off their health care."

CLANCY: And one of our viewers in Jerusalem had this to say: "The majority of the Israelis support the Gaza pullout. Well, it's not the first time that the Israelis sell their birthrights for mess of pottage. The next suicide bomb on Israeli citizens should be seen as nothing but an ongol (ph)."

VERJEE: Send us your thoughts. Ywt@CNN.com.

CLANCY: And coming up right after a short break, Australian civilization, shaken to its core over the ban of a four-letter word.

VERJEE: We're going to show you what the great mate debate was all about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all use the word, like Penny on "The Context."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: To Australia now, and a ban that was described variously as ludicrous, absurd, impractical.

CLANCY: That's right. One of the quotes, "pomposity gone mad." How do you like that one? Mark Riley (ph) has more on what's called the great mate debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARK RILEY (ph), REPORTER (voice-over): As the great greeting debate engulfed Parliament, politicians lined up, demanding to be called mate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I insist on it. I absolutely insist on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually walked out of the parliament yesterday -- walked out of the chamber yesterday, and one of the attendants came up to me, and said, mate, do you mind if I call you mate? And I said, no, that's absolutely fine, mate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One thing I do ask people is never to call me sir.

RILEY: The identity of the person whose complaints sparked the ban remains a mystery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rumor has it it's either a public servant, or an M.P. I suspect it might be an M.P.

RILEY: And while the opposition leader was outraged...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's just pathetic, frankly.

RILEY: ... his foreign affairs spokesman saw the lighter side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a full parliamentary inquiry. This anti-matism needs to be outed.

RILEY: The prime minister made clear he wanted the ban abandoned.

JOHN HOWARD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: It's impractical and absurd to try and ban something. We all use the word "mate" depending on the context.

RILEY: And that's what a new directive said today, overturning the ban, but reminding parliamentary staff there are times when a degree of informality may be acceptable and when a more formal approach is required.

(on camera): In other words, mind your manners next time you greet the queen or a bow-tie wearing bureaucrat. But for others, mate's just great.

In Canberra (ph), Mark Riley, 7 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: And coming up, we're going to hear from some mates of our own.

VERJEE: We will. Aussie Michael Holmes will host the next hour of YOUR WORLD TODAY, along with Colleen McEdwards, who comes to us from Canada, eh?

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