MIDDLE EAST: Israeli defence minister Shaul Mofaz said yesterday he was firmly opposed to demolishing the homes of Jewish settlers after Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip. He insisted that such a move would endanger the lives of troops by prolonging the pull-out.
After Israel left the Strip, Mr Mofaz said in an interview on Memorial Day for the country's fallen soldiers, "we would have to maintain military forces, security guards and forces to destroy the houses in the middle of enemy territory and there is no assurance that there wouldn't be terror attacks."
Mr Mofaz added that he was "not prepared, as the defence minister of the state of Israel, to endanger Israeli soldiers in order to destroy the houses of settlers".
For the last few months, government ministers have been discussing whether to demolish the 1,500 homes - this had been prime minister Ariel Sharon's original plan - after the 8,000 settlers have been evacuated.
The pull-out is expected to last a month, but a decision to destroy the homes in the 21 settlements could prolong the operation by as much as three months, and could cost up to $50 million.
Some right-wing opponents of the withdrawal have called for the homes to be demolished, arguing that this would spare settlers the sight of Palestinians taking over their houses.
While there have been suggestions that the Palestinian Authority might want to use the homes to house refugees, some Palestinian leaders have called for their demolition. Senior minister Saeb Erekat said that the houses were not suited to the Palestinians' needs.
But others have quietly expressed fears that there could be attempts to seize the homes once the settlers depart and this could spark infighting among Palestinians.
Mr Mofaz also said yesterday there "won't be another postponement" of the pull-out.
Originally scheduled to begin around July 20th, Mr Sharon announced earlier this week he was delaying the withdrawal until mid-August to ensure it did not coincide with a traditional Jewish mourning period related to the destruction of the two Jewish temples in Biblical times.
Speaking later in the day, just before Israelis ushered in their country's independence day, the defence minister said he was sceptical about European efforts to curb Iran's nuclear programme.
"The dialogue with Iran today is being held with the European troika. I do not think they will manage to halt the Iranian nuclear arms effort," he said.
It was the US, Mr Mofaz said, who would "have to lead the efforts against the Iranians".