The army is now saying that it hopes to finish evacuating the
Gaza Strip settlements within 10 days, that is, by a week
from Thursday. If they are successful, it means that there
will be no Jewish civilians in Gaza by Shabbos, parshas
Eikev. No timetable for a full military withdrawal was
given.
By Tuesday afternoon, the settlements of Ganim and Kadim in
the West Bank, two of the four to be evacuated there, were
already completely empty.
In Gaza, all families in Pe'at Sadeh and Rafiah Yam are
expected to leave on their own accord by Tuesday evening. In
Rafiah Yam, residents organized a farewell ceremony when
leaving on Tuesday, marching with sifrei Torah to the
gates of the settlement.
Most residents of the three northern Gaza settlements —
Nisanit, Elei Sinai and Dugit — left by Monday night.
Only one family remained in Dugit. Only 31 of Nisanit's 280
families are still there, and others are expected to leave
Tuesday. Nisanit was the second largest Jewish settlement in
Gaza, after Neveh Dekalim.
The key area is of course the largest settlement bloc: Gush
Katif. Some 100 containers were brought into Neveh Dekalim on
Monday and many residents who had waited until then began
packing.
According to estimates, about 100 families left on Monday,
bringing the number who have left to about 30 percent of the
settlements' overall original population. At least another 20
percent of the original residents are expected to leave by
Wednesday morning, including some 120 families in Neveh
Dekalim.
The leadership of the resistance to the Disengagement insists
that they have no objection to those who want to leave and
that containers ordered by those who want to pack up should
be allowed to pass. However they seem to have little control
of the various outsiders who have infiltrated to resist the
Disengagement.
Most of the approximately 5,000 nonresidents in Gush Katif
who have infiltrated over the past month or so, are expected
to fight the evacuation. The nonresidents reacted to the
army's distribution of evacuation orders on Monday far more
violently than the residents did, even though they did not
receive any of the orders. Police say that they know who the
main agitators are and that they intend to deal with them
when the forcible evacuation begins.
On Tuesday there was some tension as a large crowd outside of
Neveh Dekalim tried to block a convoy of dozens of shipping
containers requested by residents who want to leave. The
patience of both sides was wearing thin, but they struggled
without weapons. There was physical contact but there were no
reports of serious injuries.
A group of residents and outside activists blocked the
settlement's gates. When the settlement's leadership tried to
persuade the demonstrators to clear the way, fierce arguments
ensued. Some residents charged that the vans were actually
ordered by the army, as a type of psychological warfare aimed
at sapping their will to resist.
The exact timetable of the evacuation will be determined
Tuesday night, after we go to press. Currently, it appears
that two army divisions will begin work simultaneously in
Gush Katif, one in the bloc's southern section and one in the
northern section, while the northern Gaza settlements and the
isolated settlements of Netzarim and Kfar Darom will be left
for later.
In the West Bank, the army distributed evacuation orders on
Monday to residents of the two settlements Homesh and Sa-Nur.
The latter in particular is said to be filled with resisters
who are prepared to use extreme measures, though it is not
clear what that means.
Police and soldiers caught several would-be infiltrators to
Gaza on Monday, including some hidden in moving vans and four
who posed as a television crew.
At the weekly Cabinet meeting on Monday, Defense Minister
Mofaz said that forces have been ordered to take a moderate
approach and to render as much assistance as possible. He
said that we must all remember that this is a very difficult
and painful process. He also expressed the hope that the
disengagement would be implemented with minimal harm,
psychological and otherwise, both to the settlers and to the
security forces in the field.
IDF Chief-of-Staff Halutz said that while there is opposition
at the entrances to communities, it is nonviolent and is
mainly from young people who are not residents of Gush
Katif.
Halutz also discussed the incident in which soldiers are
suspected of taking equipment from one of the evacuated
communities. The IDF is checking the matter. The suspect
soldiers have been arrested and will face a judicial process.
This message is being passed on to all soldiers.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom spoke about the Palestinian
Authority's (PA) management of the disengagement. It is
possible, he said, to see increased efforts to coordinate the
main points of the disengagement. Internal Palestinian
struggles continue over issues relating to the administration
of the Gaza Strip.
Shalom said that the main message of the Foreign Ministry
these days to the outside world is that the disengagement is
an Israeli initiative that — despite the pain —
has created a new opportunity for peace.
In a statement to the press, the Foreign Ministry said, "This
week Israel disengages from the Gaza Strip and northern
Samaria, ending its 38-year civilian presence and military
rule there. Israel hopes this move will lead to a more
stable, less violent reality with its Palestinian neighbors,
and ultimately to a comprehensive Middle East peace
agreement. Israel views this goal as so vital, that it is
willing to take big risks, make major concessions, and even
face a national trauma to pursue it.
"This withdrawal is only the first phase of what could be a
new era of progress toward peace, as the focus shifts to what
the Palestinians are willing and able to do with the
territory now coming under their full control."
