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Gaza settlers begin voluntary weapons handover
(AP)
Updated: 2005-08-04 16:17
Jewish settlers in Gaza have been handing in weapons ahead of the Israeli
withdrawal from the coastal strip later this month, AP reported.
Residents of the Gan Or settlement, who belonged to a rapid response unit,
handed back their M-16 rifles and emptied ammunition from their pouches
Wednesday night. A second settlement, Netzer Hazani, is due to hand in its arms
later Thursday, said Netzer Hazani security director Yoram Sror.
Associated Press Television News footage at Gan Or showed security officials
checking each returned weapon and writing down its serial number. An inventory
list on the wall showed three machine guns, two mortars and two grenade
launchers.
One man angrily threw his weapon to the ground.
All the settlements have arms caches supplied by the army and defense teams
who are scrambled, along with troops in the area, in the event of an attack by
Palestinian militants.
Sror said the voluntary move was an attempt to prevent the settlers being
branded violent extremists.
Government officials have warned that small groups of ultra-nationalists
might take up arms to resist the pullout set for August 17. Israel is evacuating
all 21 Gaza settlements and 4 more in the West Bank.
The weapons would be turned over to the military, Sror said. The army had no
immediate comment.
In March, the government said it would wait until just before the pullout to
collect weapons from the settlers.
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