Violence breaks out as West Bank evacuation continues

Violence between Jewish settlers and soldiers erupted in a West Bank extremist stronghold as the evacuation of Gaza neared completion, with only one settlement left to be emptied and others already turned into piles of rubble by Israeli bulldozers.

Israeli troops were to evacuate the isolated settlement of Netzarim, southwest of Gaza City, today, completing the eviction of 8,500 settlers and about 1,500 reinforcements in less than a week – much faster than expected.

Meanwhile, America’s Reverend Jesse Jackson yesterday welcomed the Israeli withdrawal, saying it was a “bold and painful” step toward peaceful coexistence that shifted the “moral burden” to the Palestinians.

“What Sharon did this week – a bold action exchanging land for peace and removing the settlers with the power of the state – essentially put the moral burden upon the Palestinians to end the violence,” Jackson said in Los Angeles.

”Such an act by Sharon deserves a corresponding act and commitment by a partner willing to take the comparable amount of risks to resolve the remaining areas of dispute.”

The relentless progress of the historic pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank could reshape Mideast peace efforts.

Palestinians and international elements are pushing for quick renewal of talks and follow-up steps, while Israel says progress on the “road map” plan for a Palestinian state could progress only if the Palestinians dismantle violent groups – a key requirement of the plan.

After the settlements are knocked down, Israel is to turn Gaza over to Palestinian control for the first time ever, also marking the first border change in the area since 1982, when Israel returned the Sinai desert to Egypt as part of their peace treaty.

Yesterday, troops in overwhelming numbers brushed past barricades and steel gates to enter four Gaza settlements and escorted teary residents to evacuation buses. Settlers bid farewell to communities they built over decades, repeating anguishing scenes that have gripped Israelis almost daily over the past week.

Massive D9 bulldozers, many driven by Israeli Arabs, knocked down homes in Nissanit, Dugit, Peat Sadeh and Ganei Tal. They needed just five minutes to plough through the whitewashed walls of a home, and reduced entire villages to refuse dumps in less than a day. In Ganei Tal, some 40 houses came down in an hour.

Thousands of troops were preparing to move northward for the next phase of the government’s “disengagement” program – clearing out four small settlements in the northern West Bank.

Two are already empty, but as many as 2,000 settler extremists have holed up in the other two, and violence erupted already yesterday.