 |
 |
 |
|
|
Neve Dekalim: homes waiting for new "owners" to dance on their rooves. (AP Photo)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| By Israel Insider staff and partners April 8, 2005 |
|
| |
Israel will leave settlers' houses in Gaza intact after its summertime pullout, a senior official said, choosing environmental and international factors over settler feelings of anger and insult over Palestinians taking over their homes.
"Taking all those things into account, the defense minister made a recommendation not to destroy the private houses," Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim told Army Radio on Thursday.
Also Thursday, rabbis identified with the settlers repeated their ruling that removing settlements from the West Bank and Gaza "and handing them over to non-Jews is the strongest forbidden act in the Torah."
They called on tens of thousands to join with the settlers to disrupt the evacuation, but also advocated nonviolence.
The question of what to do with the hundreds of red-roofed houses scattered throughout Gaza in 21 settlements has vexed the Israeli government for months.
Mofaz had initially recommended destruction of the homes and greenhouses in the settlements. Israel had wanted to avoid scenes of jubilant Palestinians taking over the settlers' homes.
But many are also concerned that the destruction would damage the environment, make the pullout process longer and more expensive than planned, and generate international criticism.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Israel not to engage in "wanton destruction" of the settlers' homes. Israel has apparently caved in to U.S. pressure, contradicting the Israeli Cabinet's previous decision to destroy them.
Under Mofaz's new plan, the settlement synagogues and ritual baths would be dismantled and moved to Israel. The mezuzahs -- religious objects attached to door frames -- would also be removed.
The buildings will be handed over, either to the Palestinians or to a world agency, once the evacuation is completed, according to the plan. The army bases would all be destroyed.
Palestinians have not yet decided what to do with the evacuated areas. Some wanted the houses to remain, while others argued it would be better to replace them with higher-density housing projects. Some officials feared the houses would be doled out as perks to Palestinian officials.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly complained that Israeli was not negotiating the pullout with them, and criticized Mofaz's unilateral decision.
"They have finished the negotiations with themselves, and now they are trying to tell us what to do," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
Israel counters that the Palestinians have shown no willingness to coordinate the pullback.\
The AP contributed to this report.
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
