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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday. (AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners September 11, 2005 |
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The Israeli Cabinet voted unanimously to leave Gaza completely by Tuesday, ending 38 years of IDF presence. Rather than celebrate the withdrawal, Palestinians opted to boycott the official handover ceremony due to dissatisfaction over the Cabinet's decisions to close the Rafah border crossing, and (14-2) to keep the two dozen synagogues of Gush Katif intact. "They throw these two problems in our faces, and it's really unfair," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
After the Palestinians boycotted the event, the Israeli army canceled the ceremony.
Israeli officials said the spat would not affect plans to complete the Gaza withdrawal.
In preparation for the Israeli pullout, some 15,000 Palestinian troops were to deploy around the abandoned Jewish settlements by early Monday to keep out large Palestinian crowds. Security officials have said they want to secure the area before allowing mass celebrations.
On Saturday, some 200 Egyptian border guards took up position along the Gaza border to prevent arms smuggling and illicit crossings. An additional 550 Egyptian soldiers are to be assigned to the frontier in the coming week.
The Israeli military had planned a handover ceremony with Israeli and Palestinian commanders at 3 p.m. Sunday. However, the Palestinians say they would stay away in protest, in part to dispel Israeli claims that the occupation of Gaza has ended. "As long as the border crossing is closed, we consider Gaza still occupied," said Sufian Abu Zaydeh, a Palestinian Cabinet minister.
Sunday's Cabinet vote to end military rule over Gaza was largely symbolic, Israel has already withdrawn all of its settlers 8,500 settlers from Gaza, leaving only a small military presence there. But the unanimous decision finalized the historic withdrawal nearly two years after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon first proposed the pullout.
The withdrawal also marks the first time the Palestinians will have control over a large, defined territory. They hope to build their state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem -- areas that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War.
The Palestinians want full control over the Gaza-Egypt border after Israel's withdrawal, saying free movement of people and goods is essential for rebuilding Gaza's shattered economy. Israel wants to retain some control, at least temporarily, fearing that militants will smuggle weapons into Gaza.
Israel last week closed the Rafah border crossing.
Last week, Israel agreed in principle that foreign observers could eventually replace Israeli inspectors at Rafah. However, Israel said it could be months before the border reopens, and that a final deal would depend on Palestinian willingness to crack down on militant groups. In the meantime, it plans to reroute border traffic through alternate Israeli-controlled crossings and turning security control of the border to Egyptian forces.
The Israeli Cabinet also voted 14-2 against demolishing the synagogues, even though many of the ministers previously approved the demolition as part of the pullout. Critics said last-minute politcal considerations -- including a desire to win the support of leading rabbis ahead of general elections -- prompted several Cabinet members to change their minds.
The Palestinians have detailed plans for the settlement areas, and the synagogues would be in the way.
"Symbols of the occupation have to be taken down," Hisham Abdel Razek, a Palestinian lawmaker, told Israel's Army Radio.
However, they fear international criticism if they demolish the buildings or if the structures are defaced by Palestinian crowds targeting symbols of occupation.
Cabinet Minister Haim Ramon said the rabbis are aware that the Palestinians will likely knock down the buildings later on. "They (rabbis) know the terrible consequences for Israeli-Palestinian relations if the Palestinians will demolish the synagogues," Ramon told Army Radio.
Israeli construction crews, meanwhile, were fortifying the border with Gaza with a massive nine-meter-high (30-foot) concrete barrier to prevent infiltrations. Gaza is already separate from Israel by a large fence.
Israel threatened on Saturday to deliver an unprecedentedly harsh response to any attacks from Gaza after Israeli troops leave the territory.
The AP contributed to this report.
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