Israeli troops begin moving equipment from Gaza
Flatbed trucks rumbled out of the Gaza Strip today carrying office furniture, computers and uniforms out of an army base, the Israeli military’s first concrete step toward a planned pullout this summer.
With Israel set to withdraw all troops and settlements from Gaza in just three months, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned that he expects Palestinians to loot abandoned sites immediately after the soldiers leave. The comment astonished Palestinian leaders, who say chaos is not inevitable.
The army trucks began emptying out the base of the Southern Brigade in Neve Dekalim, the largest Jewish settlement in Gaza. About 20 containers were removed Wednesday, and more are expected to be shipped out in the coming days, the army said.
Military officials said no weapons were included in the shipment, and the base won’t be dismantled until the end of the operation. “We are already preparing, so everything won’t be last minute during the planned withdrawal,” said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity under military rules.
However, the date of the withdrawal remained up in the air as the government considered delaying the start by three weeks, from July 25 to August 15. A decision is expected this week.
The delay was proposed in order to avoid carrying out the pullout during the annual period of mourning observant Jews mark for the destruction of the biblical Temples, leading up to the fast day of Tisha B’Av on August 14.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz have sent mixed signals on whether they favour postponing the operation. Both men have said they want to respect the feelings of the settlers, most of whom are observant Jews. At the same time, they have said changing the timeline would disrupt preparations.
Vice Premier Ehud Olmert, a confidant of Sharon, said that officials were still weighing the matter Wednesday but that the government remains committed to carrying out the withdrawal. Talk of the delay has prompted speculation that the government is unprepared for the withdrawal.
“It’s an operative decision, not an ideological decision, and in any case, whenever the withdrawal takes place, and we always take into account religious dates, there is no alternative but to carry out this evacuation,” Olmert told Israel TV.
Israel has so far prepared the withdrawal unilaterally, but has come under pressure to co-ordinate the operation with the Palestinians, in part to ensure an orderly transfer of the 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he is willing to co-ordinate the withdrawal with Israel, and that he expects meetings to start next week. He also said he was not concerned by the possible delay.
“The Gaza withdrawal is an Israeli decision that was not co-ordinated with us,” he told the Israeli daily Haaretz. “They originally decided to conduct in July, and now they are talking about August or later, and it’s their business when it starts.”
Sharon, however, said he was sceptical about the Palestinian ability to prevent chaos in the aftermath of the withdrawal.
“Immediately after the Israeli army leaves there, everything will be looted,” Sharon told senior Cabinet ministers at a meeting yesterday. His comments were reported in the Yediot Ahronot daily and confirmed by a participant in the meeting.
Sharon has accused Abbas of not doing enough to rein in Palestinian militants, voicing his criticism of Abbas in a meeting with US President George W Bush earlier this month.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said he believed looting was unlikely. “The Palestinians are preparing themselves and will make sure that the day after is smooth,” he said.
Israel has delayed the planned handover of three West Bank towns to Palestinian control, citing the lack of progress in disarming militants. Sharon promised Abbas at a February summit to pull out of five towns over several weeks, but the military has only left two so far – Jericho and Tulkarem.
Erekat is set to meet with a top Sharon aide, Dov Weisglass, tomorrow to deal with the hand over.
Also, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia was to meet Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres the same day to discuss economic cooperation, Peres said.
Abbas, who was elected in January after the death of long-time Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, complained in the Haaretz interview that the Israeli government is undermining him with its criticism.
“Day and night, they are inciting against me in the Israeli media,” Abbas told Haaretz. “I am not the complaining type, but despite the instructions we have issued to halt incitement on our side, Israeli officials have not stopped inciting for a moment.”
It was Abbas’ harshest public criticism of Sharon since the Palestinian leader took office.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian legislature gave preliminary approval to a new electoral law – a key step toward holding parliamentary elections as scheduled on July 17.
Abbas, who favours postponing the election and disagrees with the system laid down in the new law, can now propose amendments before final parliamentary approval.
The law calls for a mixed electoral system – two-thirds of the legislators to be chosen from districts and the other third by all the people. Abbas favours a system with no districts, feeling it would bolster his Fatah party.
The opposition group Hamas has accused Abbas of trying to delay the election, fearing Fatah will suffer heavy losses in the vote.
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