Israel fears half of settlers will resist Gaza evacuation

ISRAEL fears that half of the Jewish settlers slated for evacuation from occupied Gaza next month will stay put rather than agree to relocation, forcing troops to remove them, a cabinet minister said yesterday.

In separate remarks, Israel’s deputy defence minister repeated an Israeli threat of a large-scale ground offensive in Gaza if settlers and troops came under fire from Palestinian militants during the evacuation due to begin on August 17.

Some 9,000 settlers are to leave Gaza and a corner of the West Bank under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to “disengage” Israel from fighting with the Palestinians.

Although Israeli ultranationalists condemn the pullout as a betrayal of Jewish claims to biblical land and a reward for a 4-1/2-year-old Palestinian revolt, the government has reported a rise in the number of settlers applying for relocation funds.

Data furnished by the government’s Disengagement Authority showed that about 750 of 1,800 families to be evacuated had applied for state funds.

Opening a caravan park to provide temporary housing in southern Israel for Gaza evacuees, authorities handed keys to the red-roofed, air-conditioned trailers dubbed “cara-villas” to several families due to move in later in the week.

But Housing Minister Isaac Herzog said half of the Gaza settlers were likely to stay on in the narrow, coastal territory - fuelling fears of confrontations.

Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim said the pullout could be suspended for 10 days to two weeks to enable “large forces to enter Gaza to land a major blow against the terrorists” if militants tried to disrupt the evacuation. The Palestinian Authority has pledged to deploy forces to ensure the pullout proceeds peacefully.