The evacuation of the 500-strong Netzarim community Monday marked the end of Israel's 38-year occupation of the area. After an emotional service in the local synagogue, the remaining settlers headed for buses to take them to Jerusalem.
Despite fears of armed resistance, the eviction operation in Netzarim proceeded quite peacefully. Israeli Defense Forces Chief-of-Staff Dan Halutz visited the settlement in the morning to secure the locals' pledge not to resort to violence.
A few young Israelis affiliated with far-right political organizations were detained by police for defacing local buildings with slogans such as "Hitler is proud of you, Sharon!" and "Igal Amir [Premier Rabin's assassin], we need you!" They had sneaked into the cordoned-off settlement ahead of the eviction operation, armored with spray paint, canisters full of liquid explosives, and sharp rods for piercing car tires.
Several thousand army and police personnel are now heading for the West Bank, where evacuation is to start Tuesday from the Sanur and Homesh settlements. Two other West Bank settlements were cleared last week.
Israeli Chief of Police Moshe Karadi, who visited Sanur in the run-up to the evacuation, acknowledged that this settlement presented a greater challenge than Gaza's Gush Katiff, but made assurances that the police would be able to clear it before Wednesday.
According to Israeli security sources, almost all women and children have already left Sanur and Homesh, but hundreds of defiant male settlers remain, planning armed resistance.
