gaza a 'closed military zone'

disengagement watch: 46 0

i really enjoy ha'aretz's nifty little graphic ->
(pilfered, right)

sort of sums up both the aggression and hostility (as well as illegality) of the settlers, while simultaneously enforcing that jews are arresting jews. really underscores the drama! the conflict! of the situation.

right, back to the news. the IDF declared today that the Gaza Strip is now a 'closed military zone' (which i'm certain will be quite a shock to all of the Palestinians living there) and are refusing entry to anyone who is not a resident.

They raided a hotel, the Maoz Yam, where over 100 activist members of the resistance have been gathering over the past few weeks. They had barricaded themselves into the hotel with barbed wire and stockpiled food, but did not offer a great deal of resistance to the soldiers.

The main road to Gush Katif has been closed and sealed, and roads throughout the Negev have been assigned military checkpoints.

Why is this important- more so then the oil-slicked road demonstations of recent days?

The IDF has now officially begun the removal of Israelis from the Gaza Strip. They have pulled out over 100 so far to little public reaction. The right-wing activists they removed were precisely the profile of those who might violently resist and require forcible withdrawal, but instead they merely tried to elude arrest by running and locking doors. This bodes well for the morale of the soldiers by reducing actual conflict and minimizing physical risk. It also bodes well for the Israeli public; if future protesters follow this example and capitulate as peacefully and in as principled a manner as these protesters, it will significantly reduce the strain on the public psyche.