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Palestinians taking control in Gaza Strip
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-12 09:06
In a somber farewell ceremony, Kochavi expressed hope the pullout would be a step toward peace. "The gate that will close behind us is also the gate that will open," he said. "We hope it will be a gate of peace and quiet, a gate of hope and goodwill, a gate of neighborliness and if a bad wind breaks through then we will greet it with a force of troops ready and waiting."
But the withdrawal, code-named "Last Watch," was overshadowed by Israeli-Palestinian disputes, including over border arrangements and Israel's last-minute decision not to demolish Gaza synagogues.
A convoy of Israeli armored military vehicles leaves the Gaza Strip through the Kissufim Crossing into Israel early Monday, Sept. 12, 2005. [AP] |
The 14-2 Cabinet vote against razing the houses of worship was a reversal of position and angered the Palestinians, who have detailed plans for the settlement areas but fear international criticism if buildings are demolished or defaced by Palestinian crowds targeting symbols of occupation.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the Israeli Cabinet decision "puts the Palestinian Authority into a situation where it may be criticized for whatever it does."
Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa told AP late Sunday that the Palestinian Authority would demolish the synagogues and other buildings left behind, except for the greenhouses.
Palestinian youths throw stones over a fence of Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim, from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip September 11, 2005. [Reuters] |
The Israeli army also was forced to cancel a formal handover ceremony, initially set for Sunday, after angry Palestinians said they wouldn't show up.
Last-minute bloodshed was another concern. A 12-year-old Palestinian boy was among four Palestinians wounded by Israeli army fire when a crowd got too close to the abandoned Gush Katif bloc of Jewish settlements.
The withdrawal marks the first time the Palestinians will have control over a defined territory. They hope to build their state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War. Gaza is seen as a testing ground for Palestinian aspirations of statehood, but many Palestinians fear that after the Gaza pullout, Israel will not hand over additional territory.
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