Army chief: IDF to pull out of Gaza by end of September

[Scurrilous]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/616240.html

<snip>

"IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said Tuesday that demolitions of vacant settler homes would be finished in 10 days and a follow-up military pullout from Gaza "will be accomplished during September ... I believe close to the end of September."

All of Gaza would then come under Palestinian rule. Israel plans to retain security control in the northern West Bank.

The army and police Tuesday completed the forced evacuations of all 21 Gaza settlements and four in the northern West Bank, less than a week after the operations began.

Speaking to a news conference hours after the evacuation of the last two settlements, Homesh and Sa-Nur in the northern West Bank, Halutz said that some 15,000 Israelis left or were ousted from the enclaves during the week-long evacuation."

[H5N1]

1. Let us be ever aware of the facts behind Sharon's cynical scam:

GAZA WILL STILL BE OCCUPIED: Israel has not yet agreed to allow
Palestinians to control Gaza's border with Egypt, to allow movement
of goods and people between Gaza and the West Bank, or to allow
Palestinians to control Gaza's air and sea space. Gaza will still be under Israeli military occupation.

ISRAEL'S GAZA PLANS DO NOT MEET EVEN U.S.' MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS:
Israel's plan to "disengage" from the Gaza Strip does not meet even
the minimum expectations articulated by the United States. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice stated, "when the Israelis withdraw from
Gaza it cannot be sealed or isolated area, with the Palestinian
people closed in after that withdrawal. We are committed to
connectivity between Gaza and the West Bank, and we are committed to
openness and freedom of movement for the Palestinian people." 3

ISRAEL ASKS U.S. FOR ADDITIONAL $2.2 BILLION FOR DISENGAGEMENT: On
top of the $3 billion in aid that the US government gives annually
to Israel, the Israeli government is asking for an additional $2.2
billion over three years to help pay for the Gaza Disengagement. two
thirds of that amount may be used to develop the Galilee and the
Negev for relocated Jewish settlers, further dislocating Israel's
Palestinian citizens living in those regions (Washington Post). 4

ALL ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW: All Israeli
settlements in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, are considered violations of international law,
specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention.

420,000 ILLEGAL ISRAELI SETTLERS REMAIN IN WEST BANK: Only 9,000
Israeli settlers are being withdrawn from illegal Israeli
settlements in the Gaza Strip and from four illegal settlements in
the West Bank. Approximately 420,000 Israeli settlers remain in
illegal settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (The
New York Times and multiple sources). 6

RAPID WEST BANK SETTLEMENT EXPANSION AND WALL CONSTRUCTION
CONTINUES: The expansion of illegal Israeli settlements throughout
the West Bank continues at a rapid pace, particularly in areas that
Israel plans to annex on the west side of the Wall and in the four
major settlement blocks (multiple sources). During the period that
Israel has been talking about destroying 2,000 settler homes in the
Gaza Strip, it has been building more than 6,400 settler homes in
the occupied West Bank (Ali Abunimah on Democracy Now) 7. Continued
construction of Israel's Wall on Palestinian land is annexing
Palestinian land to Israel in Bil'in and tens of other West Bank
villages.

ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS TAKE STRATEGIC LAND: In Gaza and the West Bank,
Israeli settlements are typically built in water rich, strategic
locations that facilitate Israeli control of resources and land, and
divide up Palestinian territory into discontinuous areas (Israeli
Committee Against House Demolitions). 8


FACTS SPECIFIC TO GAZA

ISRAELI SETTLERS RECEIVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN
COMPENSATION: During the disengagement, each Israeli settler family
was eligible for compensation of $300,000 to $500,000 from the
Israeli government for leaving homes on illegal settlements in the
West Bank or Gaza Strip (Christian Science Monitor 8/12/2005 and
multiple sources). 13

HOMES OF 30,000 PALESTINIANS IN GAZA DEMOLISHED BY ISRAEL WITH NO
COMPENSATION: While only 9,000 settlers will leave their homes in
Gaza and four settlements in the West Bank, the Israeli army
destroyed the homes of 30,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip alone
over the last four years, many of them in refugee camps, many
bordering on Israeli settlements. Palestinians receive no
compensation from the Israeli government for demolished homes.
(Danny Rubinstein in Ha'aretz Daily). 15

WHILE ISRAELIS GET TIME TO PACK, PALESTINIANS ARE FORCED TO LEAVE
HOMES WITH 15 MINUTES NOTICE: Special Israeli army units helped
Israeli settlers in Gaza to pack up their belongings as they left
their homes. The Israeli army typically gives Palestinians a maximum
of fifteen minutes warning to pack their belongings and leave their
homes before demolishing their homes.

ISRAELI SETTLERS EXPLOITED GAZA LABORERS: Israeli settlers paid
trapped Palestinian refugees from Gaza one third of Israel's minimum
wage to work as agricultural laborers. Israeli settlers paid
Palestinian laborers no compensation upon terminating their
employment due to the disengagement (Amira Hass in Ha'aretz Daily).
16

NONVIOLENCE FOR ISRAELI LAWBREAKERS, VIOLENCE FOR PALESTINIAN
CIVILIANS: The Israeli army used no weapons to evacuate protesting
Israeli settlers, who live on Palestinian land in violation of
international law, and who continue to terrorize and kill
Palestinians. 17 The Israeli army regularly uses violence and
excessive force against Palestinian civilians going about their
daily lives and Palestinian nonviolent protesters (B'Tselem, Human
Rights Watch and Amnesty International). 18

PALESTINIANS UNDER CURFEW AND MORE SETTLER ATTACKS IN GAZA: Israel
has imposed curfews on Palestinians in a number of communities in
Gaza bordering the settlements during the settler evacuation.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers in Gaza continued attacks on Palestinian
civilians even as the Israeli military was evacuating them
(Aljazeera.net). 19