Israeli army destroys its last facilities in Gaza

The demolition of the military installations erased from the Gaza landscape most of the remaining symbols of Israel’s 38-year occupation of the coastal strip, where 8,500 Jewish settlers lived among nearly 1.4 million Palestinians until Israel cleared out all 21 Jewish settlements two weeks ago.

Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said today that he expects all Israeli soldiers out of Gaza by Monday, or Tuesday at the latest if the Israeli Cabinet decides Sunday that troops should raze more than two dozen synagogues that still stand in the otherwise demolished Jewish settlements.

The alternative is to leave them intact, with the expectation the Palestinians will preserve the buildings.

Soldiers laid and tied explosives around buildings. A communications tower buckled, then collapsed as the explosives that packed it were detonated.

Another powerful explosion tore apart the building housing Israel-Palestinian liaison offices, sending pieces of the structure flying into the air.

Blow torches cut through the steel supports of the overpass that connected Israel to the main Gaza settlement bloc, and massive cranes hauled away pieces of the flyover as they were dismantled.

Soldiers, left without bases and guard posts, were to take shelter in armoured vehicles until the pullout. The head of Israel’s forces in Gaza, Brig Gen Aviv Kochavi, is to be the last soldier to leave the coastal strip and will lock the gate of the Kissufim border crossing in a small ceremony.

“I hope that with the disappearance of occupation from Gaza, hope will be revived in the minds of Palestinians and Israelis, that instead of military locations, Israel will one day have an embassy in the state of Palestine, and Palestine will have an embassy in the state of Israel,” said Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator.

The assassination of former Palestinian security chief Moussa Arafat in Gaza City by dozens of gunmen underscored the weakness of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the uncheckment prepares to take control of the coastal strip.

A military funeral was held for Arafat in Gaza City today. But in a worrisome sign of the rampant chaos in Gaza, Abbas cancelled his plans to deliver a eulogy after dozens of gunmen loyal to Arafat and the Palestinian Authority fired thousands of bullets in the air outside his office during the funeral procession.

Before Arafat was interred, his coffin was escorted to his home by 100 Palestinian police cars and dozens of other vehicles carrying gunmen from the ruling Fatah movement.

As part of its departure from Gaza, Israel is to abandon its control of a dangerous border road between Gaza and Egypt where Palestinian snipers have routinely fired on Israeli patrols. Today, the Israeli military cut short a scheduled press tour of the frontier zone, citing the risk of possible Palestinian gunfire.

Also today, the outgoing US ambassador to Israel, Dan Kurtzer, said Washington expects Israel to dismantle more than 100 unauthorised West Bank settlement outposts, in line with its obligations under the US-backed “road map” peace plan.

“We still expect as a country that Israel is going to fill its commitment,” Kurtzer told Israel Radio. “We have no reason to believe that Israel will try to evade its responsibility,” Kurtzer said.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry official, meanwhile, said Israel has set aside plans to press Washington for around £1bn (€1.46bn) to help finance the Gaza withdrawal because of the enormous damage Hurricane Katrina has wreaked in the southern US

A high-level Israeli delegation that was to discuss the aid request with US officials has postponed a trip to Washington, said ministry spokesman Mark Regev.

“The issue (of US aid) is not on the table at the moment,” Regev said. “Everyone’s dealing with Katrina.”