Gaza: Palestine forces to help

2005-08-10 19:54

Gaza City - Palestinian security forces were getting ready to deploy around settlements in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday as preparations for Israel's pullout accelerated one week before the start of the evacuation.

Palestinian security sources said a 5 000-strong force was being assembled to ensure that the pullout, due to begin on August 17, took place free of violence after an appeal for calm by Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

An official said: "Forces from the national security branch and the police will be deployed at the start of the week in the zones bordering the Israeli settlements and by the roads used by settlers leading to the green line border into Israel."

The source said: "Some members of the national security branch have already taken up positions in some of these areas and they are going to receive significant reinforcements in preparation for the start of the Israeli pullout."

Force to prevent rocket attacks

The source said the deployments had been agreed on after co-ordination talks between Israeli and Palestinian security officials.

Israeli and Palestinian security sources said the main task of the Palestinian force would be to prevent rocket attacks by militants from groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad during the pullout.

A total of about 5 000 security personnel, drawn from a number of Palestinian security branches, was expected to take part in the operation.

In a speech to the Palestinian parliament on Tuesday, Abbas appealed for the pull-out to take place in a "civilised manner" to strengthen the case for independence and reiterated calls for an end to the rocket firing.

The Israeli parliament was holding its own debate on Wednesday about the pull-out.

Palestinians 'to operate a port in Gaza'

Benjamin Netanyahu, who quit as finance minister on Sunday in protest at the pull-out, was among those who savaged Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan - in particular, the idea of allowing the Palestinians to operate a port in Gaza.

He said: "We are allowing the creation of an independent terrorist base in Gaza to which arms will flow from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq.

"We are facing a global enemy which threatens not only Israel, but Egypt and Jordan as well...

"Who will stop this terrible danger? Apparently not the Israeli government which is blindly stumbling" towards disengagement.

Netanyahu, a former prime minister who had made no secret of his plan to return to the highest office, was taking heart on Wednesday from polls among members of the main governing Likud party, which indicated that he could unseat Sharon in a straight contest for the movement's leadership.

Opinion-poll results carried by Channel 10 revealed 42% of the rightwing party's membership would choose Netanyahu in party primaries, while only 27% would cast their votes for Sharon.

- AFP