Israel stops synagogue blasts

2005-09-09 09:56

Jerusalem - Israel's Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz announced on Friday that he had ordered troops to suspend the demolition of synagogues in former Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.

"I decided to suspend the demolitions until the government takes a decision on Sunday," he told public radio, ahead of a cabinet meeting in two days time set to rule on the final date of troops leaving the Palestinian territory.

"It could mean the withdrawal is delayed by one day but that is acceptable because on everything else we are ahead of schedule," Mofaz added.

Pointing out that he grew up in a religiously observant family, he said he was personally opposed to Israel destroying the synagogues.

Loud blasts early on Friday rattled the former Gush Katif settlement bloc in southern Gaza, in what one military spokesperson had told AFP was the beginning of the process when asked if the synagogues had started to be destroyed.

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday gave the green light for the army to destroy all of about 20 synagogues in Gaza, as military sources said Israel would complete its withdrawal from the territory next week in an operation lasting 24 hours.

Acting on an appeal from rabbis, the court had ordered the government to ask the Palestinian Authority to preserve the synagogues, but later accepted the Palestinians were unwilling to do so and that it was better to demolish them.

The structures are some of the only buildings remaining in the former Jewish settlements, which were emptied of their 8 000 residents over a fortnight ago.

The cabinet last week approved plans to break up 20 synagogues and to transfer only a symbolic section of each building to Israel where they will be rebuilt, fearing those left standing would be desecrated by the Palestinians.

Only two of Gaza's synagogues, those in the settlements of Slav and Tel Katifa, are to be transferred in their entirety into Israel.

- AFP