Egypt condemns terrorist attack against Palestinians
Egypt-Palestine, Politics, 8/20/2005

Egypt condemned Thursday the killing of four Palestinians in the West Bank by of an Israeli settler.

The four Palestinians were on their way to work when the settler opened fire at them on Wednesday. In press statements, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry source called on the Palestinians and Israelis equally to maintain self-restraint to evade plots by enemies of peace to prevent the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip.

Israeli army and police forces on Thursday stormed a Jewish synagogue in the Israeli settlement of Neveh Dekalim where hundreds of extremist Jews, opposing the pullout from the Gaza Strip, had been barricading themselves.

The Israeli forces started clearing them one by one amid resistance by the settlers who were supported by many others who infiltrated into the settlement to resist the withdrawal operation.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he expected the clearing of Neveh Dekalim, the biggest Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip, to be completed by Monday.

The Israeli forces did not use force against any settler during the evacuation operation. Every four soldiers carried a settler by the arms and legs on to buses.

Israeli forces aimed to clear the last Jewish settlers and protesters from Gaza strongholds on Friday after breaking the back of resistance to ending nearly four decades of occupation.

Officials said over 80 per cent of the strip's settlers had been evacuated as well as hundreds of rightists from outside: many dragged kicking and wailing from synagogues where they had holed up and clashed with troops sent to bring them out.

By the end of Thursday, most protesters had been cleared from the biggest settlement of Neveh Dekalim and from Kfar Darom, scene of the worst violence since the start of forced evictions.

Police used cranes and water cannon to battle protesters on the roof of a synagogue. They fought back with rocks and paint-filled light bulbs. Some of the dozens of security personnel suffered light acid burns.

Israeli withdrawal opponents called the first pullout from settlements on Palestinian land "a victory for militants - a view echoed by the gunmen - as well as the betrayal of a biblical claim that could set a precedent elsewhere.

Previous Stories:
  Abul-Gheit sends message to Palestinian counterpart   (8/18/2005)
  Mubarak and Abu Mazen discuss Israeli withdrawal from Gaza   (8/16/2005)
  Barak in Cairo for talks with Mubarak   (8/16/2005)
  Mubarak: Israelis need to follow Gaza disengagement with Roadmap implementation   (8/16/2005)
  al-Gomhurieh: Egypt to deploy 750 soldiers for securing frontiers with Gaza   (8/15/2005)
  Al-Ahram: Understanding on Philadelphia border passage with Israel   (8/12/2005)

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