The Hindu : International : Israel suspends Gaza operations

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Saturday, Oct 16, 2004

International

International

Israel suspends Gaza operations

JERUSALEM, OCT. 15. Israel decided to scale back its bloody two-week military operation in northern Gaza, its largest operation there in four years of fighting, but defence officials said the military would respond quickly if Palestinian militants resume rocket fire at Israeli towns.

The Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon and the Defence Minister, Shaul Mofaz, made the decision to thin out the forces at a meeting late on Thursday, according to the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. They said troops would leave the sprawling Jebaliya refugee camp, a main focus of the operation.

Army Radio said the decision amounted to the end of the operation, though no formal decision would be announced.

New technique

The radio station said the Israelis were leaving with new capabilities to spot and hit militants launching rockets, an apparent reference to pilotless drone aircraft Palestinians say have been hovering over the territory, sometimes firing missiles.

The officials said the military could move back in if militants aim their homemade Qassam rockets at Israeli towns again.

Before troops moved, however, the Israeli air force early on Friday fired a missile at a group of militants in the Jebaliya camp, critically wounding four, Palestinians said. The military had no comment.

Since the start of the campaign, triggered by a September 29 Palestinian rocket attack on an Israeli town that killed two small children, 105 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire, about half of them civilians, including 18 under the age of 16.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr. Sharon told a closed session of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that one of the objectives of the military campaign was to ensure quiet during next year's ``unilateral disengagement'' from the Palestinians, which includes evacuation of all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank.

However, Mr. Sharon said he was not linking the withdrawal to a halt in attacks by Palestinian militants.

Opponents have been trying to block the planned evacuation of Gaza's 8,200 Jewish settlers, who live among 1.3 million Palestinians in the crowded coastal territory.

Protest by settlers

On Thursday, a pro-settler rabbi called on Orthodox Jewish soldiers to refuse to obey orders to dismantle settlements.

Rabbi Avraham Shapira, once Israel's chief rabbi, said Mr. Sharon's plan violates Jewish law. On Thursday night, opponents staged demonstrations in many Israeli cities, but the turnout was smaller than organisers predicted. Several thousand gathered near Mr. Sharon's Jerusalem residence.

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