(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)
Prime Minister’s Office Director-General Ilan Cohen this morning (Tuesday), 15 March 2005, convened a meeting of the Directors-General Forum, on the issue of disengagement.
All ministry directors-general attended the meeting. They were briefed by IDF Deputy Chief of General Staff Maj.-Gen. Dan Halutz, Israel Police Inspector-General Moshe Karadi and ISA Director Avi Dichter.
Halutz discussed the security establishment’s working plan for implementing the Disengagement Plan and the redeployment of IDF units after the evacuation. He added that logistical assessments ahead of the evacuation are currently being completed and said that personnel would be added in light of the need to shorten the implementation to a few weeks.
Karadi discussed the main centers of friction expected during the evacuation, both in the Gaza Strip and throughout the country.
SELA Administration Director Yonatan Basi estimated that a large majority of the settlers in the Gaza Strip would be evacuated voluntarily.
Cohen said that he intends to convene the forum every two weeks. He asked his fellow directors-general to prepare detailed assessments ahead of the implementation of the Disengagement Plan so that each ministry could focus on its particular missions, and added that the necessary resources would be put at their disposal.
The Directors-General Forum will oversee coordination of the civil aspects of the Disengagement Plan and work to remove unnecessary obstacles.