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JERUSALEM, Aug 18: A Jewish settler who gunned down four Palestinians in the West Bank said on Thursday he did not regret his actions and hoped someone would kill Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
“I am not sorry for what I have done. I wanted to stop the pullout (from the Gaza Strip) and I hope someone murders Sharon as well,” Asher Weisgan told reporters as he was brought by police to a court near Tel Aviv.
The settler shot and killed the four Palestinians on Wednesday near the West Bank settlement of Shilo as the operation to forcibly evacuate Israelis from the occupied Gaza Strip began.
He opened fire after wresting a weapon from a security guard at knife point.
Mr Weisgan had been employed as a driver collecting and dropping off Palestinian workers.
CATS & DOGS: Animal rescuers will enter Gaza’s Jewish settlements after they have been emptied of people to round up stray dogs and cats, an animal welfare group said on Thursday.
Avi Kuzi, who heads the Society to Protect Animals, said the pet catchers would move in once the 21 Gaza settlements are declared empty.
Israel is known for its many stray cats, but some of the animals could be pets that got lost when owners left suddenly or were dragged away.
Tal Levy, evacuated by Israeli troops and police from the Gaza settlement Kfar Darom, said he saw many stray animals in the area before he left.
“Horses, dogs and cats and even chickens were wandering the streets,” he told Israel’s NRG website. “There is no one to feed or care for them.”
Animals found in the settlements will be put in shelters in Israel until new homes are found for them. Israel has put out announcements calling on people to adopt them.—AFP/ Reuters
