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| Israel-Palestine |
| Gaza settlement of Katif fully evacuated |
| 2005-08-22 |
| KATIF SETTLEMENT, Gaza Strip - The doomed Gaza Strip settlement of Katif was completely emptied on Sunday, with most Jewish settlers leaving voluntarily after an emotional farewell prayer ceremony with soldiers, the army said. âIt finished a short while ago, 370 civilians were evacuated from Katif,â an army spokeswoman told AFP. Around 60 families were earlier seen boarding buses and their own private vehicles in the settlement after commanders managed to persuade them to leave without a struggle, an AFP correspondent witnessed. âAll of them are leaving by their own decision,â said police spokesman Superintendent Avi Zelba. âIt was an amazing act of dignity and respect.â The settlers had earlier prayed side-by-side in the settlementâs synagogue with police and soldiers who had been given orders to evacuate them. At the end of the service, the local rabbi locked away the Torah scrolls. In the morning, security forces had used bulldozers to force their way into Katif, one the last remaining of the 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. But although the settlers set fire to piles of tyres and rubbish as the troops arrived, the resistance was no more than symbolic. |
| Posted by:Steve White |