ISRAEL MULLS 3 MONTH DELAY IN GAZA PULLOUTJERUSALEM [MENL] -- The government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has examined a proposal to delay the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip for at least three months.
Officials said the Defense Ministry has warned that the government decision to destroy the homes of 8,000 Israeli residents in the Gaza Strip would delay the completion of Israel's pullout from the area by at least three months. They said the ministry asserted that the destruction of more than 1,000 residential homes, warehouses, greenhouses and other structures would require massive amounts of equipment as well as trucks to remove the debris from the Gaza Strip.
As a result, the ministry has pressed for a revision of the government's decision to destroy Israeli buildings in the Gaza Strip during the withdrawal, meant to begin by August 2005. The ministry position has been endorsed by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.
Officials said the destruction of the Israeli homes and the removal of debris would cost around $30 million. They said the Defense Ministry said it could complete the task even under the threat of Palestinian fire.