Jews In Tears

As the IDF and police forces close in on the final hours before the deportation of the Jews from Gaza, the atmosphere is growing tense and emotional for everyone. There are reports surfacing now that as many as 50% of the Israeli deportation forces will refuse once the official call to expel the Jews is ordered. The report below is an indication of just how terrible it feels for Jews to deport Jews by force.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Soldiers in tears amid
Jew-vs.-Jew violence
Israeli security forces clash
with resistant Gaza residents

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: August 16, 2005
9:29 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein

NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza – Marking the official start of long-expected Jew-vs.-Jew clashes inside Gaza's Jewish towns, violence broke out here this afternoon between security forces and residents who tried to block army moving trucks from entering the area ahead of tonight's final evacuation deadline.

During exchanges with weeping residents, soldiers and some police officers broke down into tears and were quickly escorted from the scene, highlighting concerns among Israel's top military brass of mass army defections during the implementation of the withdrawal.

With only hours remaining until the end of a two-day allotment for residents of Gaza's Gush Katif slate of Jewish communities to leave on their own accord, Israeli Defense Forces and Border Police units moved into Neve Dekalim today after residents refused to allow moving containers into the town. Dekalim is the largest Jewish community in Gaza. Army moving trucks have been patrolling Katif towns the past two days for any residents who wants to move out.

Police and soldiers formed several human chains and attempted to slowly advance against hundreds of residents blocking the Dekalim entrance. A standoff between security forces and the residents ensued, with both sides refusing to budge.

It was the first time Israeli evacuation forces had entered any Katif town.

Reacting to the large military buildup inside their community, residents of all ages cried and pleaded with the forces to not expel them.

"Please, please, don't take my home away from me," one woman cried.

"How can you do this to us? This is where we live. Don't listen to your orders," pleaded a teenage boy.

A father and his children huddled together and wept for several minutes when thy saw the troop buildup. Several residents, crying, threw themselves onto soldiers.

The confrontations prompted several soldiers, both men and women, to break down into tears. Some of the crying soldiers took a break for several minutes, while others were escorted away entirely.

Some members of the media openly were wiping tears from their eyes, including an Israeli television correspondent who was broadcasting live.

Riot police were dispatched to the scene and were directed to push back the lines of residents to clear the way for the moving trucks to get inside. Violent protests quickly erupted, with officers and residents pushing each other.

More than 50 protesters were subdued violently and arrested. Some residents and at least one police officer were lightly-to-moderately injured in the clashes.

A few activists lit tires on fire and placed a large, burning garbage bin in the middle of the road. Children and teenagers threw eggs at security forces.

A water cannon was brought in and fired torrents of water at the Katif protesters, pushing them several meters away from the entrance.

Finally, settlement leaders on loudspeakers called for residents to retreat.

"We will win this battle, but we need to do so peacefully" announced one leader.

The leader told protesters there would be a community meeting later in the day to decide how to respond to tonight's deadline.

According to an Israeli decree, at midnight tonight any Jew still remaining in Gaza will be considered an illegal occupant and will be removed forcibly. Police are expected to begin the actual evacuation of some communities early tomorrow morning. About 17 to 20 officers per Katif home will be used to physically drag occupants onto waiting buses and out of the area.

Police have been training for several months to deal with the possibility of residents refusing to leave. A police withdrawal exercise reportedly was halted last week when officers from Israel's border patrol unit used excessive force against mock settlers participating in the drill.

Residents here have been passing along rumors today as to which towns would be evacuated first. Some say they heard evacuation forces would start with the most isolated settlements, while others are convinced forces will embark on a shock-and-awe campaign by beginning with Dekalim, where there is likely to be the largest number of resistors.

Meanwhile, senior IDF leaders have been expressing concern that a significant percentage of soldiers might refuse orders the next few days. There have been reports of several hundred soldiers being disciplined the past few months for refusing to take part in withdrawal-related operations. Eleven soldiers yesterday were sentenced to jail to for refusing. Thirty-thousand officers recently signed a petition stating they would not participate in the evacuation, and an entire unit, the elite Golani Brigades, said they would refuse if asked to take part.

Police units make up the bulk of forces that will actually be removing residents from their homes, but the overall evacuation operation relies mostly on IDF soldiers.

Fifty-thousand soldiers and police officers tonight will form six rings in and around Gush Katif. The first ring – consisting mostly of police – will remove residents from their homes. The second ring – soldiers and officers – is charged with blocking surrounding roads to prevent anti-withdrawal activists from reaching each community being evacuated.

The third and fourth rings, entirely soldiers, will defend against Palestinian attacks during the evacuation. The fifth ring, mostly IDF soldiers, will attempt to prevent activists from infiltrating the Strip. The sixth ring, consisting of police officers, will control traffic on Israeli roads in the western Negev near the Gaza border, to prevent protesters from reaching Gush Katif.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any comments, gang?

-MZ