By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
Jul 17, 2005
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sunday ordered the IDF to use ?all force? necessary to prevent Israeli Jews from entering the Gaza Strip with the intention of thwarting his ?disengagement? plan.
Ha'aretz reported that as IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz was briefing the cabinet on a weekend clash between security forces and Gaza settlers at the Kissufim Crossing, Sharon interrupted and demanded the army take all measures to put down the protesters.
?You must act with all severity. I instruct to use all force to prevent the entry of protesters [into Gaza] and to prevent assaults on IDF soldiers,? Sharon was quoted as saying.
Hundreds of Jewish settlers marched on Kissufim Crossing Saturday evening to protest the permanent closure of Gaza to all non-resident Israelis. The demonstration degenerated into an hours-long physical confrontation with security forces as tensions rose.
During the melee, nine soldiers openly refused orders to fight their fellow Jews. The government and army vowed to deal with the soldiers harshly, and decided to disband their unit.
Sharon blamed the right-wing activity against his policies for the failure to put a stop to ongoing terrorist artillery attacks against Jews in and around Gaza.
?The demonstrations and violence in Gaza serve as sticks in the wheels of the army, which is trying to protect the lives of civilians,? Sharon insisted.
Analysts, however, suggested Sharon's diplomatic considerations were preventing massive defensive action by IDF ground forces already massed on Gaza's northern border since last Friday.