Hatzofe article details police training and plans for Gaza evacuation

Aaron Lerner Date: 19 February 2005

The Friday 18 February supplement of Hatzofe features an article detailing
the police training and plans for the Gaza evacuation.

The article reports the following timetable:

15 May: All passages into Gush Katif blocked and area declared a closed
military area.

15 June: All vacations cancelled for police for a period of two and a half
months.

1 July: Evacuation launched.

Police will be deployed to remove people from their homes in a 4 police: 1
person ratio. Each team will be accompanied by a cameraman who will record
the operation on video. If a small child is known to be in the building, a
social worker will also be present.

Police are being trained in the use of pressure points so that they can
easily force people holding onto babies, for example, to release them. The
babies will be held by social workers and returned after the evacuees are
already on buses.

Once a home is evacuated movers will load the moveable contents into
containers and the home will be sealed. Guards will then be stationed to
prevent re-entry.

The evacuees will be held under guard in caravan communities and hotels
where they will be kept to insure that they are not able to engage in
protest activity.

The article also claims that police have been assured that, in violation of
the rules, they will not wear name tags during the operation and that
complaint files will not even be opened for "minor" violations such as
breaking the hand of a person they are evacuating.

The article notes that there is concern that many of the police being
deployed for the operation are Druze and Bedouin who are "looking forward"
to the opportunity to battle Jewish settlers.

Hatzofe notes that Police and Ministry of Justice spokespeople denied that
Internal Affairs has made any agreement - nor intends to make such an
agreement - regarding either the use of force in the operation or the
violation of rules (not wearing name tags).

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il