Evictions continue, abandoned houses demolished
(22 Aug 2005) SHOTLIST 1. Various soldiers waiting outside house 2. Close-up child 3. Wide of child standing next to soldiers 4. Various men embracing and weeping 5. Wide of settlers and soldiers standing next to bus 6. Various soldiers removing weeping men 7. Settler kisses pavement, rises and boards bus 8. Various settlers in circle linking arms and singing 9. Various settlers departing with soldiers carrying possessions 10. Various bulldozer clearing trees and debris 11. Wide site where house has been destroyed 12. Men on roof of house, debris in foreground 13. Various debris from demolished houses STORYLINE With only one settlement in Gaza left to be emptied on Monday and others already turned into piles of rubble by Israeli bulldozers, the eviction of 8,500 settlers and about 1,500 reinforcements in less than a week has been much faster than expected. On Sunday Israeli bulldozers tore down the homes of Israeli settlers in Nissanit, reducing settlements to rubble within hours of the emotional departure of the settlers, and delivering a graphic message that Israelis will no longer live in the Gaza Strip. The demolitions came as the army announced that 20 of the 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza were emptied by Sunday evening. Troops in overwhelming numbers brushed past barricades and steel gates on Sunday to enter four Gaza settlements and escort tearful residents to waiting buses. Settlers bid farewell to communities they built over decades, repeating anguishing scenes that have gripped Israelis almost daily for a week. Huge D9 bulldozers, many driven by Israeli Arabs, tore down homes in Nissanit, Dugit, Peat Sadeh and Ganei Tal. It took them only minutes to rip through the whitewashed walls of a home, and they reduced entire villages to desolate ruins in less than a day. The mounds of rubble were and abandoned belongings were reminiscent of the aftermath of Israel''s large-scale house demolitions in Palestinian communities during the recent years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. Victor Bargil, a senior Defence Ministry official, said he expected all Gaza houses to be demolished within two weeks - half the time predicted last week by Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz. The army also must dismantle its installations before the Palestinian Authority takes control, probably within the next month. Israelis and Palestinians have not completed an agreement on what to do with the demolition rubble. Israel has agreed in principle to put up 50 million dollars for removing the debris, part of which is dangerous material like asbestos that is expected to be buried outside the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops were to evacuate the isolated settlement of Netzarim, southwest of Gaza City, on Monday, before pulling out of two of four West Bank settlements on Tuesday. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
