TEL AVIV — Israel's General Staff has been quietly preparing for the
prospect that the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would be delayed amid
rising civil unrest and the danger of a military escalation along the
Lebanese border.
Israeli military sources said the General Staff has been drafting a
range of scenarios for the next six months. They said that for the first
time one scenario presented to Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz was that
the military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would be delayed or aborted.
"This does not mean that there has been a change in plans," a military
source said. "It means that we have to consider the possibility that
something could change at the last minute or even during the Disengagement
[withdrawal]."
The scenario stems from increasing concern by senior commanders that
soldiers remain unprepared for a rapid withdrawal and expulsion of about
9,000 people from the Gaza Strip. The sources said daily Palestinian missile
and mortar attacks as well as rising civil opposition to withdrawal have
hampered training plans for the army.
Overnight Thursday, Israeli communities in the central Gaza Strip were
rocked by a heavy barrage of Palestinian mortars and missiles. There were no
reports of injuries.
Southern Command plans to send hundreds of troops for a two-week
course to prepare for the withdrawal and eviction of Israeli residents from
the Gaza Strip. The sources said the course was trimmed from its original
three-week training period because of a manpower shortage.
The sources said the General Staff has been frustrated by the failure to
implement plans drafted in early 2005 for the withdrawal. Under the plans,
at least 6,000 police officers were to have been deployed to evict the
Israelis from their homes in the Gaza Strip.
But the police have been required to quell rising civil unrest in
Israel. Most officers designated for training with army units have been sent
to bolster the police presence in major cities and major highways targeted
by withdrawal opponents.
Senior commanders have quietly complained that the military has been
marginalized throughout the withdrawal planning process. On June 28, former
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon told the Knesset Audit Committee that
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon briefed Egypt and the United States of his
withdrawal plan before meeting the General Staff. Ya'alon said he was told
of the government's intention to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and northern
West Bank in February 2004.
The commanders have also expressed alarm over rising tension and unrest
in the central Gaza Strip by withdrawal opponents. They cited clashes
between Israeli soldiers and hundreds of youngsters, who also pelted
Palestinians with stones.
Military sources said Southern Command planned to close the Gaza Strip
to non-Israeli residents. They said the move would require a significant
increase in troops and could escalate civil unrest throughout Israel.
"We are determined to carry out the Disengagement with all of the pain
involved," Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said.
Another concern, the sources said, was the prospect of a Hizbullah
escalation along Israel's northern border. On Wednesday, Hizbullah fighters
crossed into Israeli-held territory and fired mortars toward an Israeli
military post in the disputed Shebba Plateau. One soldier was killed and
four others were injured.
Another clash between Hizbullah and Israeli soldiers erupted on
Thursday. Israeli military sources said at least one Hizbullah fighter was
killed in the Shebbaa area.
"There is a possibility that Hizbullah would seek to launch a second
military front against Israel over the coming weeks," a senior military
officer said.
