Israel begins collecting West Bank weapons

Jerusalem — Security officials on Wednesday began collecting army-issued weapons from residents of two West Bank settlements slated for evacuation in an effort to prevent violence during Israel’s upcoming withdrawal from the area, according to officials and media reports.

The weapons collection came as thousands of soldiers participated in their final dress rehearsal for the withdrawal at a dusty farming community in southern Israel.

Beginning next Wednesday, Israel plans on withdrawing from all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four small enclaves in the West Bank. About 9,000 settlers will be uprooted from their homes.

While most settlers are expected to leave peacefully, authorities are prepared for possible violence by hard-liners. The voluntary weapons collection, which began in the Gaza settlements last week, is seen as an effort to reduce tensions.

Assaf Mani, security director in the settlement of Homesh, said he was collecting weapons on Wednesday and Thursday and then planned to turn over the guns to the army. He said residents also were storing private weapons with dealers or other closed places.

“People are angry about this but not opposing it. They are turning in their weapons without incident,” Mr. Mani said. He declined to say how many weapons had been collected.

Israeli media said a similar collection was under way in the nearby settlement of Sanur. Both communities, home to a total of about 350 people, are among the four West Bank settlements slated for evacuation.

Sanur, a former artists’ colony, has been taken over by a group of religious ideologues opposed to the pullout, and it could not immediately be confirmed whether residents were co-operating. Military officials did not return messages seeking comment.

Security officials have gone on high alert since an extremist Jew opposed to the withdrawal opened fire on a crowded bus last week, killing four Israeli Arabs, before he was killed by an angry mob.

The Haaretz daily reported Wednesday that Israel’s Attorney-General has ordered an Israeli-American seminary student deported to the United States due to fears he was planning to attack Arabs in an effort to derail the withdrawal plan.

The American, Saadia Hirschkop, 18, agreed to be deported for 40 days instead of being jailed, the daily said. Two other extremists arrested with Mr. Hirschkop remained under administrative detention, a procedure allowing arrest without trial.

The army early Wednesday also ordered a family of extremists to leave Sanur and return to their home elsewhere in the West Bank. The family, including six children, had moved to Sanur in recent weeks, the army said.

With the withdrawal approaching, about 10,000 soldiers participated in their final exercise ahead of the pullout Wednesday at Kerem Shalom, a communal farm along Israel’s border with Gaza. The army paid for residents to stay in a hotel for the duration of the exercise.

The first soldiers moved into the area around sunrise, closing the village from all directions, then allowing police and paramilitary forces to move in. Mock Palestinian mortar shells were fired at the soldiers, who returned fire and continued their mission after several hours.

The soldiers also clashed with about 40 “residents” who fortified themselves on the roof of a building, screaming at soldiers and throwing stones and flour bags at the forces. One of the protesters accidentally fell off the roof and was being treated by paramedics.

In another scenario, two armed “terrorists” infiltrated the area and took several people hostage. Special army forces were being dispatched to the area.

With time running out before the pullout, many Gaza settlers have stepped up preparations for their impending departure in recent days. Moving trucks have become an increasingly common site on the roads and some settlers are beginning to pack their belongings into shipping containers deposited on their front lawns.

Supermarket shelves were nearly empty and some of the area’s few restaurants were preparing to close.

The settlement of Peat Sadeh, a small community in southern Gaza, planned a farewell ceremony later Wednesday. Its 100 residents plan to move en masse to a farming area near the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. Similar farewell ceremonies are planned in other settlements.

In other developments, Palestinian and Israeli officials agreed late Tuesday on a key issue — what to do with the rubble of the 21 Gaza settlements.

The Israeli Defence Ministry said Israel would tear down parts of the buildings and take in dangerous rubble, like asbestos. The Palestinians would finish the job, with money provided by Israel and administered by the World Bank, and use some of the rubble for construction of a seaport.

The agreement is as much symbolic as practical. The two sides have been haggling over co-ordination issues for most of the year. Although the two sides have worked out many security matters, unresolved issues remain, including control of border crossings.