Settlers to lock gates August 15
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Gaza settlers plan to block the IDF entrance to their communities Monday morning when soldiers arrive to hand out evacuation notices, settler leaders vowed late Saturday night.
Some 24 hours before the IDF is scheduled to close down the area to internal and external traffic, thousands of settlers and anti-disengagement supporters gathered at midnight on the lawn outside the Neveh Dekalim synagogue in Gush Katif to hear the rules of their non-violent battle and the schedule of anticipated events for the coming week.
"We will not accept the evacuation degree," said settler leader Rafi Sari, who is among those organizing the struggle against the government's plan to pull out of Gaza starting on August 17th.
He urged all settlers to gather at their community gates at 8 a.m. Monday.
Once the Disengagement Implementation Law goes into effect August 15, settlers will have 48 hours to leave voluntarily.
"We will close the gates, we will sit on the road and pray and sing. We will not let the evacuation forces enter," he said.
Settles amassed late Saturday night following the reading the Biblical book of Lamentations chronicling the destruction of the Temple, on this same day, 2,000 years ago.
Praying for a miracle, they ended their Tisha Be'av service by singing and clapping the words to the song asking God to speedily rebuild the Third Temple, which is suppose to be rebuilt when the messiah comes to redeem his people.
"If there is no redemption this is the last time we will meet together," said Sari. Every hour of delay is critical, he said.
Gaza settler leaders urged the protesters to refrain from violence at all costs.
"If we say, 'no' to violence and 'yes" to determination," we will win," said Avner Shimoni who heads the Hof Aza Regional Council.
Should a settler raise their hand against a soldier, the battle is over, he said. Still, warned Sari, "We will not make it easy."
The best line of defense, he told residents, is to greet the evacuation soldiers in a home that looks as normal as possible. "Be prepared for psychological warfare," he said.
The decision to go with the soldiers or to non-violently resist is a personal one that each family must make on their own, he said.
Experience from the evacuation of Yamit in the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 shows there are endless scenario of how the interaction will play out, he said.
What's important is to reach out to the soldiers as if they are "our brothers" and not "our enemy," he said.
Many soldiers will not have the internal strength to execute this evacuation, he said.
These are difficult times and no one should judge those who chose to willingly leave before the army arrives, he said.
For those who are staying, each settlement is set up with generators. The IDF has promised that essential services won't be disrupted, including the availability of food supplies, he said.
Should all plans to thwart the evacuation fail, Neveh Dekalim council head Lior Kalfa, said that private non-governmental efforts were underway to help relocate the families of Gush Katif, including the construction of tents. "There is a solution for every family," he said.
