Gaza: Israeli army tests itself
2005-04-17 20:17
Jerusalem - The Israeli army staged its first simulated exercise to prepare for the uprooting of settlers from the Gaza Strip as outgoing World Bank chief James Wolfensohn prepared to head to the territory in his new role as a special envoy for the pullout.
Military commanders and rank-and-file gathered near Tel Aviv to prepare to counter different scenarios when the pullout begins in late July, including attempts by settlers to barricade themselves in their homes and even commit suicide, army sources said.
Defence minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered that all 8 000 residents of the 21 settlements in Gaza, as well as several hundred living in four small Jewish enclaves in the northern West Bank, are disarmed before the evacuation begins.
However Sunday's exercise, codenamed Mind Game, examined how the army and police should respond if a settler opened fire during the evacuation.
A report in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily said that planners were considering placing marksmen immediately outside the settlements although no soldiers actually carrying out the evacuation will be carrying weapons.
The exercise also tested the response of the armed forces in the event of Palestinians opening fire during the evacuation.
Sharon is particularly sensitive to the idea that militant groups such as Hamas will try to portray the evacuation as a retreat under fire.
As part of preparations for the withdrawal from Gaza, Israel set up a cabinet sub-committee on Sunday led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to relocate the settlers who are due to be uprooted.
Next phase 'being planned'
Following reports that he was already planning a next phase of unilateral withdrawals, Sharon told the weekly cabinet meeting that such talk was a total fabrication after issuing a similar statement on Friday.
"The information that has been reported is a total lie," Sharon told his ministers.
A source close to Sharon told AFP on Friday that he was "contemplating more unilateral moves if there is no agreement in sight with the Palestinians" in order to sidestep international pressure over its future borders with a Palestinian state.
The comments seemed to indicate that Sharon still did not regard new Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, whom he met at a summit in Egypt in February, as a partner in the peace process.
Abbas for his part, during talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, said the Palestinians were "ready to co-ordinate with the Israelis" on the Gaza pullout.
But he demanded more details, including on whether it was part of a wider peace plan known as the roadmap which aims to create a Palestinian state.
"We must know where we are going, if the pullout is linked to the roadmap and if it is a total pullout," Abbas told journalists.