Israel will deploy a force of 40 000 soldiers and 4 000 police officers to evacuate around 8 000 settlers from the Gaza Strip, ministers told a special session of the Parliament on Tuesday.
The large force will be required to prevent protesters getting to Gaza from Israel and the West Bank, as well as guarding against attacks by Palestinians and escorting and coercing settlers to leave the settlements.
Israeli officials have said that if mortars or rockets are fired during the evacuation process, its forces will have to invade surrounding Palestinian areas such as Khan Yunis and Rafah.
Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister, told the session that Israel has made it clear to the Palestinian Authority that it would respond ”harshly” if militants fired on settlers and soldiers during the pullout.
”If there is fire during the evacuation, our response will be very harsh, possibly so harsh that it would destroy the whole process,” he said.
But while he said that ”the evacuation won’t take place under fire,” he added, ”I do not intend that the evacuation won’t take place.”
Shaul Mofaz, the defence minister, said: ”The principle is that the fire will be stopped, not the disengagement.”
Mofaz and his Palestinian counterpart, Nasser Yusef, were expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss security coordination between Israeli and Palestinian forces.
The large forces are just a small part of what Israel has at its disposal.
According to Tel Aviv University, the Israeli army has 186 500 full-time soldiers. With reservists, the figure rises to 631 000. Israeli police say they have 25 700 officers at their disposal.
The police will be primarily involved with dealing with any protesters and settlers, while the army will control roads and boundaries and lie in reserve.
As the anticipated start date of the evacuation in mid-August draws near, settler families are rushing to secure compensation.
Yonathan Bassi, the head of the organisation for relocating and compensating settlers, told the Parliament on Tuesday that 396 families had sent requests, and around 30 additional requests were arriving each day.
There are an estimated 1 900 families in the settlements in Gaza and the northern West Bank which are due to be evacuated.
A succession of ministers warned the Parliament of the chaos that could ensue in Israel in August once the disengagement gets under way. Gideon Ezra, the public security minister said the prison service was ready to hold at least 2 300 protesters.
Moshe Karadi, the chief of police, warned that he could not guarantee the free movement of traffic because of demonstrations. – Guardian Unlimited Â