Israel Tries to Quell Settler Resistance to Pullout
16/08/2005| IslamWeb
Israeli security forces poured into the largest Gaza settlement on Tuesday, pushing back protesters vowing to defy orders for Jews to leave the occupied territory by midnight or be removed.
Troops cut through an iron gate at the main entrance and hundreds of border police streamed into Neve Dekalim, a flashpoint of resistance against the first uprooting of Jewish settlements on land Palestinians want for a state.
Scuffles erupted as protesters burned piles of rubbish along the main street. Police dragged away 20 youths trying to block convoys of moving vans coming in and a growing number of settlers heading out before a midnight (2100 GMT) deadline.
Taking heed of the warning, many settlers packed up trucks and shipping containers and joined an exodus that Israel says will mark the end of its 38-year occupation of the Gaza Strip.
In a show of force, police formed a cordon on both sides of Neve Dekalim's main access road to keep protesters from blocking it as they did the day before. The army said it would not tolerate action that impeded residents from exiting.
But signs of defiance remained in Gaza enclaves, where hardline settlers vowed to stay put on land they believe was bequeathed to the Jewish people by God. "We're going to hold our houses as tight as we can," Morag settler Chaim Gross said.
Security officials fear that a hard core of ultranationalists, including some of the 5,000 who had infiltrated the settlements in recent weeks, could turn violent.
FORMER SETTLER CHAMPION
In a televised address on Monday, Sharon, once the settlers' champion but now reviled by them as a traitor, told Gaza's 8,500 Jewish settlers he shared their pain but also understood the plight of 1.4 million Palestinians in the coastal strip.
"We cannot hold on to Gaza forever," he said.
Eviction warnings to the 9,000 settlers in all 21 settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank went into effect at midnight on Sunday under Sharon's plan to "disengage" from conflict with the Palestinians. Settlers have until Wednesday to go or be forced out.
Palestinian groups claim the withdrawal as a victory and Israeli opponents decry it as a surrender to violence, while Washington sees it as a catalyst for renewed peacemaking.
Continuing almost daily Palestinian celebrations in recent days, a rally organized by the Hamas drew about 4,000 people, including dozens of gunmen, in the town of Khan Younis, adjacent to heavily fortified Neve Dekalim.
In the West Bank, two settlements -- Ganim and Kadim -- became the first to be vacated, an army spokeswoman said. Most of the residents had already left before the eviction order.
The army has yet to say in what order it will evacuate the remaining settlements starting early on Wednesday.
Israeli officials say 66 percent of settler families have accepted compensation deals. Those who refuse to go could lose a third of the money, ranging from 150,000 to 400,000 US dollar per family.
The World Court describes Israeli settlements as illegal. Israel disputes this.
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