In what the Guardian of London described as the largest left-wing demonstration since Gen. Ariel Sharon came to power, more than 100,000 Israelis gathered this weekend to denounce the occupation and call for peace. The gathering marked the eighth anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin was killed by Yigal Amir, an extremist Israeli who opposed the surrendering of any part of the West Bank to the Palestinians.

At the rally former Prime Minister Shimon Peres called for the immediate pullout of Israeli settlers from the Gaza strip.

In other news from Israel, workers have engaged in one of the country’s largest strikes to protest the proposed overhaul of Israel’s welfare system. Striking workers shut down government offices, banks, the international airport and trains.