Israel warns violence will prompt response
JERUSALEM – Israel’s defense minister warned Monday he will send large forces into Palestinian neighborhoods if Israeli troops and settlers come under fire during Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this summer.
The military faces twin threats during the pullout from extremist settlers and Palestinian militants. Settlers want to stop the evacuation of all 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank, while militants want to show they are driving the Israelis out by force.
Israeli officials said Monday they might leave houses in Gaza settlements intact, reversing earlier assertions that the homes would be torn down to spare the settlers the vision of Palestinians taking them over.
Palestinian attacks during the Gaza withdrawal “would require us to go into Palestinian Authority territory with very, very large forces to those places that overlook the areas to be evacuated,” Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said.
As part of the truce declared last month by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Israel has stopped its frequent raids into Palestinian areas of Gaza.
Originally described as “unilateral disengagement,” the Gaza pullout is shaping up now as a joint effort involving Israel, the Palestinians and Egypt.
The death of Yasser Arafat on Nov. 11 brought about the change. Israel, with U.S. backing, boycotted Arafat, accusing him of involvement in violence.
His successor, Abbas, has spoken out against Palestinian attacks and cajoled groups into an informal cease-fire, leading to a Feb. 8 summit in Egypt where Israel and the Palestinians declared an end to four years of bloodshed. Sharon offered to coordinate the pullout with Palestinian forces to keep Gaza from falling into the hands of militants.
Also, Egypt said it would post 750 soldiers on the Gaza-Egyptian border if Israel withdraws from the border road. Israel still is considering what to do after hundreds of raids there to search for tunnels the Palestinians use to smuggle arms and other contraband into Gaza from Egypt.