By AMY TEIBEL
The Associated Press
Monday, August
15, 2005; 2:59 AM
NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip --
Israeli troops on Monday began handing out eviction notices to
settlers of the Gaza Strip at the start of a historic withdrawal that
will end its 38-year occupation of the coastal territory. Defiant
settlers blocked the gates of their communities and vowed to prevent
troops from delivering the notices. In Nissanit, soldiers
delivered the first eviction notice to a young couple who invited the
soldiers into their home and offered a drink of water. Troops
encountered no resistance in Nissanit, unlike in several other Gaza
settlements. In the largest settlement, Neve Dekalim, dozens of
men wrapped in white prayer shawls held roadside morning prayers,
while teens _ many sporting orange ribbons, the color of defiance _
danced in circles. Troops fanned out across Jewish settlements
to deliver the notices house to house. Settlers were to be told they
have one last chance, until midnight Tuesday, to leave voluntarily.
Those ignoring that final deadline will lose up to one-third of their
compensation. In Neve Dekalim and in several other settlements,
though, there were few signs that residents would
cooperate. Dozens of Orthodox Jews held morning prayers outside
Neve Dekalim's gate, hoping that divine intervention would somehow
prevent the plan from going forward. "Who dares to do battle with
God," read one protester's T-shirt. "Brother, don't expel me," said
another. Under the pullout plan, Israel will remove all 21
Jewish settlements from Gaza as well as four enclaves in the West
Bank. While many of Gaza's 8,500 residents have already left, the
army estimates that several thousand people remain, including
extremists who infiltrated Gaza. Settler leaders have promised
to resist without resorting to violence, though security officials
fear extremists might violate that pledge. The withdrawal marks
the first time Israel would dismantle settlements in areas captured in
the 1967 Mideast War and claimed by the Palestinians for their future
state. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon believes the withdrawal will
improve Israeli security by reducing friction with the
Palestinians. "It's a painful and difficult day, but it's a
historic day," Israel's defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, told Army
Radio. At the small settlement of Netzer Hazani, resident Anita
Tucker said only one of the 70 families had left, and 17 others would
leave Monday. The others would resist without violence, she
said. Speaking before soldiers came with eviction orders, Tucker, 59,
originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., said hundreds of people came to
reinforce the settlement. "We know we can't fight the Israeli army.
We don't want to," she said. "We are the Israeli army." Israeli
officials, police commanders and army officers were determined to
carry out the evacuation, known as "disengagement." Israel's Cabinet
was to meet later Monday and give final approval for removal of
additional Gaza settlements in a step seen as a formality. The
pullout got under way after months of political wrangling and mass
protests. The complex operation began at midnight Sunday, when
soldiers lowered a road barrier at the Kissufim Crossing, signaling
that it had become illegal for Israelis to be in Gaza. As the barrier
went down, a traffic light changed from green to red. Thousands
of Palestinian police, meanwhile, moved into positions near Jewish
settlements to keep away Palestinian crowds and prevent attacks by
militants during the pullout _ something that Israel warned would
bring harsh retaliation. Palestinian residents watched settlers
packing up, and seeing moving trucks leave settlements dispelled the
skepticism many Palestinians felt until the last minute. "They
are actually leaving. Who would have ever thought?" said Palestinian
farmer Ziyad Satari, 40, standing on the roof of his three-story home
in the Palestinian town of Khan Younis, which overlooks the Morag
settlement. Hundreds of supporters of the militant Islamic Jihad
group celebrated in Gaza City on Sunday, with gunmen firing in the
air, and teens setting off firecrackers and distributing sweets. The
violent Hamas group organized special midnight prayers of thanks at
Gaza mosques. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas offered
the Israelis reassurance. "We tell the Israeli people, `You have
chosen the right path,'" he told Channel 10 TV. "Don't listen to the
voices of the extremists who want a continuation of the occupation. I
don't want _ and I will not accept _ any clashes with the army or the
settlers." However, there were exchanges of fire early Monday
between soldiers and Palestinians near the Kfar Darom settlement, and
mortar shells fell in two settlements and near an army base. No
casualties were reported. Many hope the pullout from the
territory Israel captured in 1967 will be the start of a true
partition of historic Palestine between Arab and Jew. Others
fear it is a ploy by Sharon to get rid of areas he doesn't consider
crucial to Israel while consolidating control of parts of the West
Bank, where the vast majority of the 240,000 Jewish settlers
live. The Palestinians want to create their own state out of the
Gaza Strip and West Bank, with east Jerusalem as their
capital.