World Tribune.com

Israeli military selects units, plans training to evict settlers

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, May 24, 2005

TEL AVIV — The Israel Army has formed teams for the eviction of Jews from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.

Officials said Southern Command and Central Command have been establishing forces to prepare for the expulsion of 10,000 Jews from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank. The units would train in eviction techniques and receive information on the families slated for expulsion.

The military plans to expel about 1,100 families in the Gaza Strip from 21 communities as well as about 100 families from four settlements in the northern West Bank. The officials said the biggest challenge would be the Katif bloc of communities in the central Gaza Strip.

The army weekly Bamahane reported that soldiers have been selected for the eviction effort. The soldiers would be trained to raid houses and evacuate babies and the elderly, both of whom might be used as human shields. The magazine said the army has not yet begun training.

Col. Ofer Segal, head of training at the Ground Forces Command, said the soldiers deployed in the eviction would not carry weapons. Segal said the units would be equipped with ladders, cranes and portable holding cells to facilitate the evacuation.

The army units would be assigned specific neighborhoods and receive briefings on each house assigned for evacuation. The soldiers would be briefed on the number of residents, weapons and lethal equipment as well as family history.

Officials said the formation of the units and briefings reflected conclusions drawn from the army evacuation of northern Sinai in 1982. About 2,000 Israelis were expelled from the Israeli community of Yamit.

"We realize that the soldiers must show empathy and understanding for what the settlers are experiencing," Col. Erez Katz, a training officer, was quoted by Bamahane as saying.

Police and military units have been working to coordinate in the eviction effort. A senior police official said the operation, scheduled for Aug. 17, would be led by the military and include 8,000 police officers.

The official said a unit of 17 people would evacuate each home. The unit would contain members of military and police units.


Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc.

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