Could settlement evacuation result in bloodshed?
Photo: AP
'Shoot settlers who open fire'
IDF soldiers should "shoot and even kill" settlers who open fire at them during settlement evacuation, Minister Matan Vilnai says
TEL AVIV - IDF soldiers facing a life-threatening situation as a result of settler fire during the upcoming evacuation should be permitted to fire back and kill their attackers, Minister Matan Vilnai told newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth Thursday.
The preferable option would be for troops to spot problematic settlers before violence erupts, but if the soldiers fail to do so they should attempt to neutralize assailants, the minister said.
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Troops should act in accordance with IDF regulations, which call on soldiers to shoot back at the source of fire when attacked, he said.
However, fellow Labor party member Binyamin Ben-Eliezer later said he apologizes for Vilnai's statements.
"We are implementing a strategy of disengagement and not a bloody battle," he said. "If one drop of blood spills because of the disengagement, it's not worth the price"
Disengagement Administration to open new office
Meanwhile, the Disengagement Administration is set to open an office in the southern town of Sderot in two weeks. The town is located near the Gaza Strip and the move would allow would-be evacuees easy access to the new office.
Until now, Gush Katif residents were forced to travel to the Disengagement Administration's Jerusalem office, or hold covert meetings with government representatives for fear of being shunned by other Gaza residents who oppose the pullout.
However, government officials estimate that as the evacuation date nears, settler resistance to talks with the Administration will decline.
