Palestinians
Under Withdrawal Curfew
By Laila El-Haddad
18 August, 2005
Al
Jazeera
Palestinian
communities living near Jewish settlements are bracing themselves for
a month-long Israeli-imposed closure. Residents of the Maani area of
Dair al-Balah, adjacent to the colony of Kfarm Darom in the central
Gaza Strip, were lining up in front of the gate to their fenced in community
on Monday morning, waiting for Israeli approval to enter ahead of the
closure.
Abdullah Maani,
34, said residents were allowed out of the village for a few hours to
buy food and supplies before the closure would be enforced, adding that
they had yet to see any evidence of a withdrawal. "If we weren't
hearing it from the radio and television stations, you would think there
is no withdrawal going on. From where we stand, there are no signs of
withdrawal.
"The settlers
in Kfar Darom seem to be going about their daily lives and we haven't
seen any dismantling of infrastructure yet," said Maani, as he
filed through a metal turnstile with dozens of other residents, waiting
to be searched.
Stocking up
Nearby residents
carried bags of potatoes and tomatoes, and gallons of water that they
loaded off donkey carts. All vehicles are banned from entering the village.
Israeli forces notified the Palestinians living near the illegal settlement
of a month-long closure of their community this past Friday.
Earlier in the week,
villagers from the northern Gaza Strip village of al-Siyafa, sandwiched
between the settlements of Dugit, Eli Sinai, and Nisanit, transported
cooking gas, vegetables, and an electric generator in preparation for
a similar closure.
The two enclosed
villages, in combination with the larger enclave of Mawasi southern
Gaza, located within the Gush Qatif settlement bloc, have borne the
brunt of Israel's closure regime, which saw their villages sealed off
from the rest of Gaza in the name of security for the settlers.
Closures have been
particularly stringent in the past five years of the intifada, during
which movement for local residents and access for international organisations
has been extremely restricted.
Settler provocations
Palestinians living
near the settlements, such as those in Maani, fear the settlers may
resort to violence to protest against their removal. "We are afraid
the settlers might do something to us, to harm us in protest of the
disengagement," said Abdullah Maani.
Kfar Darom is a
bastion of hardline settlers, and Israeli forces expect to face much
resistance in evacuating the isolated colony. Chief Palestinian negotiator
Saeb Erikat on Tuesday called on Israel to resume final status negotiations,
on issues such as Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees, after the pullout
from Gaza.
Optimistic thoughts
"From the day
that we resume talks on final status issues I am sure it would take
six months to reach a settlement," Erikat said at a press conference
in Gaza City. "The rule of law and the fate of people will be decided
after the disengagement through ballots and not bullets."
Gaza has been wracked
by lawlessness in recent months, as armed groups and security forces
jockey for credit and power ahead of January parliamentary elections.
Most of the infighting has been within the ranks of the Palestinian
Authority itself, often between disgruntled security officers and corrupt
officials.
On Monday night,
the Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades rallied throughout Gaza city's
streets, shooting their weapons in the air and declaring: "We shall
never lay down our weapons". On Tuesday, armed members of Islamic
Jihad did the same, "reminding" Palestinians that it was they
who forced the Israeli settlers out of Gaza.
Erikat said the
PA hopes to reach an understanding with factions on the matter through
dialogue under the banner One Weapon, One Authority.
Barrier protests
Meanwhile, in the
West Bank village of Bilain, Palestinians continued their non-violent
demonstrations against the separation barrier that is annexing 52% of
their farm land, despite media attention focused on the ongoing disengagement
from Gaza.
Young Palestinian
girls led a group of 400 people, including Palestinians, Israeli and
international activists, in a peaceful demonstration as they demanded
access to their land.
"Settlers today
are beginning to withdraw from Gaza. We are happy for the Palestinians
there. But as that goes on, Israel is expanding settlements on our land
here in Bilain, and those settlers leaving Gaza are being brought here,"
the group said in a statement they read out, a copy of which was received
by Aljazeera.net. "This solves nothing, but rather moves the problem
from one place to another. We need real answers that provide security
for us all."