Ministers OK evacuation of 3 settlements
Government approves first phase of Gaza evacuation by 17-5 margin; earlier, Defense Minister Mofaz admits Israel to pay for clearing of Gush Katif ruins following pullout, says IDF may leave Philadelphi route by year’s end. Prime minister: There won’t be another disengagement, I’m not bothered by ministers who vote against evacuation
The government approved Sunday afternoon the first phase of the disengagement by a 17-5 margin, paving the way for the evacuation of three Gaza settlements: Morag, Netzarim, and Kfar Darom.
Five Likud ministers, Benjamin Netanyahu, Danny Naveh, Yisrael Katz, Tsachi Hanegbi and Limor Livnat, voted against settlement evacuation.
During Sunday’s government session, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the cabinet he is not bothered by how individual ministers vote on the first phase of settlement evacuation.
“Some view themselves as military experts,” he said. “Let them vote as they see fit.”
IDF Intelligence Head Major General Aharon Zeevi Farkash said during a briefing he gave to cabinet ministers, “The Palestinians want to jump straight to the second phase of the Road Map because they fear the evacuation of Gaza will be the end of the process.”
Sharon responded by saying, “There will not be a another disengagement or a continuation of the political process without the uncompromising dismantling of terror and its infrastructures.”
“I understand their (settlers) pain, but despite its difficulties, the disengagement plan allows us to maintain our political and security-related interests in the region,” he said.“The pullout offers a chance to move the regional political process forward, and it is vital to Israel’s future.”
Israel to pay for Gaza cleanup
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has admitted for the first time that Israel would be paying for the removal of the ruins of Gaza settlements to be razed during the pullout.
Despite claims by the Prime Minister’s Office that efforts are still being made to find an international partner that would fund part of the project, Mofaz said: “Israel will pay.”
The defense minister also said that If possible, the IDF would remove its forces from the contentious Philadelphi route on the Gaza-Egypt border by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the two other groups of communities slated for evacuation, namely the three northern Gaza communities (Nisanit, Dugit, and Elei Sinai) and the four northern West Bank settlements (Ganim, Kadim, Homesh, and Sa-Nur) would be brought before the cabinet only after the withdrawal gets under way, and would therefore not be the first to be evacuated.
The phased voting procedure comes in the framework of a compromise reached earlier, with ministers agreeing on a “gradual withdrawal” and four separate votes. Security officials, however, stress that the votes do not necessarily indicate the sequence of evacuation, which has been kept secret until now.
