Thursday, July 14, 2005 08:00 IST
JNW HEADLINE NEWSGaza closed, as disengagement gets underway
By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial StaffJuly 13th, 2005
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Wednesday ordered security forces to bar entry to the Gaza Strip to all Israelis who do not officially reside in the area.
Gaza is to remain a closed military zone until all area Jews have been forcibly evacuated under Sharon's “disengagement” plan.
The timing of the move is seen as an attempt to prevent a planned influx of anti-pullout activists into Gaza next week.
Israeli media noted that the closure is the first physically significant step towards implementation of the withdrawal.
The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza decried the decision as “the first time in history that a Jewish prime minister blockades Jewish communities and declares a part of Israel Jews-free.”
The anti-pullout group National Home announced it will block the nation's highways twice a week until the closure is lifted. Israel Radio reported the group plans to disrupt traffic on Mondays and Wednesdays.
JNW Site Search