Sharon to settlers: Blame me
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Moshe Katsav held a press conference this afternoon, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. They used the opportunity to both praise the settlers' behavior, as well as express support for the security forces carrying out the forced evacuation of Gush Katif. "Without a doubt, this is one of the most difficult moments in the history of the state," said President Katsav. Sharon cited his admiration for the way the soldiers and policemen were carrying themselves, saying, " I am proud of our nation, which has a military and police force that are carrying out their mission with care and sensitivity." Katsav commended the settler community in Gaza for acting responsibly, but added that in no way does he consider the orders given to the soldiers to be illegal. The prime minister repeatedly called on the settlers to spare the soldiers and police from harm, insults, and blame. "Blame me," he said raising his voice, "this was my decision." Both of the leaders asserted their devotion to the entire evacuation process, including the days, months and years to come, in which support will be provided for the settlers
Four settlements evacuated
Israel Police Inspector General Moshe Karadi said tody that security forces completed the evacuation of three Gaza settlements: Morag, Kerem Atzmona and Tel Katifa, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. We anticipated that the pullout would last three weeks, but dynamics on the ground are different and we are ahead of schedule. It is better both for the evacuees and the evacuators," Karadi told reporters at Ganei Tal. According to Karadi, "Right now, Morag, Kerem Atzmona and Tel Katifa have been evacuated. We hope there won't be more violence today; there have been some incidents of violence but one cannot talk about a trend of violence on either side." By this afternoon, the IDF has cleared 583 homes out of a total of 2,206 in the Gaza Strip settlements. Neveh Dekalim residents have agreed to evacuate without violence, in return for a promise that they would be allowed to return next week to pack their belongings. Eevacuation forces agreed to a deal with the leaders of the Hesder Yeshiva Yamit, in which a final prayer service would be allowed while the evacuation forces waited outside. 2,000 youths had reportedly gathered there in an attempt to barricade themselves. Most of the settlers were waiting inside their homes. About three-quarters of the homes were not evacuated voluntarily. As of today at noon, 300 of 520 families remained in the settlement.
Police chief: Resistance relatively weak
In most locations, resistance to the evacuation is relatively weak, Police Chief Moshe Karadi said today while touring the Gaza Strip settlement of Kerem Atzmona, YNEY reported. "We hope dialogue will help," he said. "Based on the current pace, which as this point is faster than estimated, we'll finish the evacuation sooner than planned," he said. In the afternoon, forces began clearing families from Neve Dekalim. At 2:30 p.m., the troops arrived at residents' homes and called on them to leave. The same picture emerged in Kerem Atzmona. So far, the evacuation is progressing quietly. Meanwhile, the IDF said the evacuation of Tel Katifa has been completed. IDF Chief-of-Staff Dan Halutz, who toured Neve Dekalim, also expressed his hope for a quick evacuation. "I don't want to meddle in professional affairs, but you'll be finishing up here by this evening, yes?," he told senior officers in Gaza's largest settlement. Head of Operations Branches in the IDF, Major General Yisrael Ziv, is also pleased with the pace of the evacuation. "We are progressing faster than planned and if there are not extreme incidents, we'll be able to finish the evacuation considerably sooner than planned," he said while touring Gush Katif. "Contacts are ongoing with most communities regarding a voluntary evacuation, and forces may continue to carry out the evacuation during the night."
IDF: Demolition of settlement houses may start at end of next week
The evacuation of the Gaza Strip is going forward faster than anticipated, such that all settlements could be vacant by early next week and the demolition of settler homes could begin a few days later, the Israel Defense Forces said today, HA'ARETZ reported. "The struggle against the evacuation has passed from the broad-based to the indivdual," Major General Yisrael Ziv, commander of the IDF's Operations Branch, said. Nissanit, Bedolah, Dugit, Pe'at Sadeh, Slav, Rafiah Yam, Kfar Yam, Gadid and Morag were all evacuated.
If the present pace continues, another three or four settlements could also be evacuated on Wednesday, Ziv said. Of the three northern Gaza settlements, there are 15 (out of an original 74) families still in Elei Sinai, and Nissanit and Dugit have been otally evacuated, according to the Disengagement Administration. The IDF does not plan to exert much effort to complete the evacuation of Elei Sinai.
Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky said today that all Gaza Strip settlements could be evacuated by the beginning of next week. According to Ziv, evacuations were proceeding at a faster rate than planners had anticipated. He said the IDF could begin to demolish vacant settler homes as early as the end of next week.
[Today's Israel Line was prepared by the Consulate General of Israel in New York.]