Police, IDF to hold final drill three weeks before pullout date

The police and Israel Defense Forces will hold a final joint exercise at the Tze'elim training base about three weeks before disengagement, police chief Moshe Karadi and Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee yesterday.

Karadi said that 6,500 police will be allocated for the pullout, of which 18,000 will be deployed for the evacuation; 10,000 officers will carry on ordinary policing and 1,500 will serve as reserve evacuation forces.

Ezra warned that regular policing may suffer during the evacuation, and that the personnel shortage could make it necessary for policemen to evict women. In response, MK Uri Ariel said major rioting could result.

Karadi said the police has readied holding facilities at Ma'asiyahu Prison in Ramle and Dekel Prison in Be'er Sheva for settlers who disturb the peace.

Police are also preparing for an early closure of the territories slated for evacuation. They will not permit protesters to block roads and intersections, Karadi said, and will operate with sensitivity but determination.