Southern Command Headquarters
Office of the Major General
2 Av 5765
8 August 2005
Residents of the Gaza District
Letter from the Commander of Southern Command to citizens of the State of Israel resident in the Gaza District area
Based on the Law for Implementation of the Disengagement Plan 5765/2005, and in accordance with the decision of the government of Israel and the order of the prime minister, you are required to evacuate your homes and leave the territory of the Gaza Strip by Motzaei Tisha B'Av (14/08/2005) at 24:00. From that time on, the phase of "voluntary" evacuation will end, the checkpoint at the entrance to the Gaza Strip will be closed, and the entry of civilians will not be permitted (rather only their exit), since from that time, the 14/08/2005 at midnight, presence in the Gaza Strip is not legal.
On the 10th of Av (15/08/2005) security forces will arrive to evacuate you from your homes and will instruct you to leave the Gaza Strip.
Throughout the years the IDF has defended the settlements of the Gaza District area out of a sense of partnership, responsibility and national mission.
This task, too, will be carried out by us out of a feeling of partnership and a deep understanding of your pain. That said, the IDF, as the army of a democratic state subject to the authority of the law, will carry out this task in its entirety.
From the 12th of Av (17/08/2005) at 00:00:01 the phase of forced evacuation will begin, in which security forces will arrive and evacuate the residents who choose to stay and who force the security forces to confront them with the purpose of implementing the law.
I am certain and confident that your commitment to the rule of law and responsibility for the welfare of the nation will guide your protest.
I bear a prayer of peace for all of us - citizens of Israel resident in the Gaza Strip, the IDF and the Israel Police.
With respect and appreciation,
Dan Harel, Major General
Commander of Southern Command
Questions:
- Do they realize how bad it sounds to order the expulsion of entire Jewish communities from their land, effective Motzaei Tisha B'Av? Are they really that deaf to Jewish history?
- Last I heard the Israeli government had only approved the evacuation of three settlements: Morag, Netzarim and Kfar Darom. On whose authority has the IDF distributed the expulsion letter to the residents of the other Gaza settlements?
3 comments:
People are upset about Holocaust comparisons as being insensitive - how about this?
Good point, Biur.
All other considerations aside, the community leaders are doing the community at large a great disservice by not distributing the letters.
Yaak,
Good point - but still, Holocaust comparisons are inappropriate. We are the last people who should be trivializing the Holocaust.
Shanna,
I'm not sure about that. The information is easily enough available. If the army needs to inform residents, it has enough ways to do so without having to enlist the local authorities to do their dirty work.
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