MIDDLE EAST: Financial incentives, including cash advances, to settlers in Gaza Strip settlements earmarked for evacuation will be offered soon by the Israeli government, officials confirmed yesterday - a signal that Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon plans to push ahead with his withdrawal plan quicker than many had expected.
According to a working paper drafted by the National Security Council, this form of voluntary evacuation will begin in August, well ahead of a cabinet vote planned for nine months' time on whether to go ahead with the actual dismantling of settlements.
Mr Sharon wants to dismantle all 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the northern West Bank.
But he has faced stiff political opposition and while the cabinet approved his withdrawal plan in principle earlier this week, he was forced to agree to bring the issue of evacuating settlements back to ministers for another vote. The prime minister might be trying, however, to begin the evacuation process well ahead of this vote in a bid to make it a formality.
According to the working paper, by the end of July a budget for implementing the withdrawal plan has to be submitted, first compensation payments will be made in November, and by December the government will have to decide in which localities to offer the settlers new homes.
Voluntary evacuation will continue until mid-August 2005, at which point Gaza will be declared a closed military zone by the Israeli army in order to prevent opponents of withdrawal from other parts of the country entering the Strip in an effort to frustrate the pull-out. Forcible evacuation is to begin by September 2005.