Physical preparations
Photo: Reuters
Understanding the nuances
Photo: AP
5,000 rehearse Gaza pullout
Thousands take part in joint exercise; evacuation forces to sleep, eat, practice together
TEL AVIV - Some 5,000 police officers, IDF soldiers and border policemen began training Sunday to carry out the pullout from Gaza in three weeks.
IDF sources say the exercises will last two weeks, and will include both physical and mental training.
Members of all three security forces will sleep in joint dormitories, in order to forge a connection and to get to know one another.
“Our goal is to forge a connection amongst soldiers,” said an IDF source.
“(In order to accomplish this) soldiers, officers and border police will live together, train together, and will receive all relevant information to complete the disengagement,” said the source.
Put off from last week
The training exercise was originally scheduled to begin last week, but was cancelled because of the three-day anti-pullout demonstration at Moshav Kfar Maimon.
Security forces plan to carry out the disengagement plan by deploying in five “rings” around the withdrawal route.
In general, only members of the “first ring” and reserve forces from the “outer rings” that will be available to take part in first ring activities will take part in the training exercise.
