Israel threatens Gaza u-turn

2005-08-01 10:54

Jerusalem - Israel would suspend its Gaza withdrawal and launch a massive ground offensive if Palestinian militants attack Israeli soldiers and settlers during the pullout, the deputy defence minister said on Sunday, outlining the military's plans for the first time.

The threat came less than three weeks before the start of the evacuation, which would mark the first time Israel has ever removed veteran settlements from the West Bank and Gaza. The first families to be uprooted from Gaza moved into their temporary homes on Sunday.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said repeatedly that the "disengagement" from Gaza cannot be carried out under Palestinian fire, clarifying that Israel would stop the fire, not the pullout.

While the official Palestinian Authority is interested in a smooth handover of the volatile territory, violent groups like the Islamic Hamas want to step up their attacks in an attempt to show that the Israelis are fleeing from the Palestinians.

Capable

Palestinian leaders say they are capable of taking control of Gaza, but they complain that Israel is not allowing them enough ammunition for their security forces, a complaint backed by the US.

Vice-premier Shimon Peres said on Sunday that Israel should weigh giving the Palestinian police arms and ammunition. "If we tell the Palestinians to combat Hamas, we have to hear what their needs are," Peres told Israel Radio.

On Sunday, deputy defence minister Zeev Boim gave the first detailed look at Israel's planned response to Palestinian attacks during the pullout, set to start on August 17.

Boim told Israel Radio that in case of Palestinian fire, Israel would suspend the pullout. He said a full division - thousands of soldiers - would move in "to deal a blow to the terrorists".

"I don't see a possibility that simultaneously, if we come under fire during withdrawal, that we will be able to act massively against Palestinian terror to stop the fire, and also to continue the withdrawal," he said. "We would stop the withdrawal, (and) we would deliver a harsh strike."

Capable

He said the operation would be similar to "Defensive Shield", a large-scale Israeli invasion of the West Bank in 2002 in response to a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings.

That operation reversed the Palestinian achievements of a decade of peacemaking, as Israel retook control of main West Bank cities and towns.

The worst-case scenario would require "10 days to two weeks of a heavy strike against terror to uproot it", Boim said.

- AP