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Settler era in Gaza ends

Atul Aneja

MANAMA: Israeli military has evacuated all settlements in Gaza, ending a turbulent era of occupation of one part of Palestinian land. Israeli armed forces entered the settlement of Netzarim ahead of the evacuation in the early hours. The pullout took place peacefully in the afternoon after a rabbi led the residents out of a synagogue and onto the waiting buses. Most of the 21 settlements had been vacated earlier. Settlement activity in Gaza began after Israeli troops captured the area along with the West Bank in 1967. The focus will now shift to the West Bank, where four other settlements are slated for evacuation from Tuesday. Two of them have been already vacated, but around 2,000 activists have converged on the settlements of Sanur and Homesh, where there are expected to offer stiff resistance.

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