THE Israeli Army intends to blow up more than thirty synagogues and six Jewish religious schools in Gaza after the withdrawal next month.
The Israeli authorities that are negotiating the handover with the Palestinians have already agreed that 1,600 houses are to be demolished, but the fate of the religious buildings is especially emotive for observant Jewish settlers.

Even as the army disclosed the plan, a senior figure in the Government suggested that the pullout might be brought forward from midAugust to prevent opponents disrupting it.

Yesterday the last of several thousand protesters who had tied up 20,000 security forces for three days drifted away from the farming community of Kfar Maimon.

Their demonstration fizzled out when they were barred from marching to the Gush Katif settlements in Gaza.

But in the early hours of yesterday up to 300 of the demonstrators left the main body and crossed fields to sneak into Gush Katif. They were eventually detained after trying to cut through fences. The arrests represented another victory for the security forces, who resolutely faced down more than 10,000 settlers who tried to march from Kfar Maimon with the aim of preventing the evacuation.
 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C251-1703493_2%2C00.html