Ecstatic crowds of Palestinians flooded into empty Jewish settlements on Monday, setting abandoned synagogues on fire and looting ruined buildings in a celebration of the end of 38 years of Israeli military rule over the Gaza Strip.
Plans by Palestinian police to bar crowds from the settlements quickly disintegrated, and militant groups hoisted flags and fired wildly into the air, illustrating the weakness of the security forces and concerns about their ability to control growing chaos in Gaza.
As soldiers poured out of Gaza, jubilant Palestinians turned Gaza’s night sky orange as fires roared across the settlements. Women shrieked in joy, teenagers set off fireworks and crowds chanted ”God is great”.
Palestinians wish to build their state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem – areas that Israel captured in the six-day war of 1967 — but fear Israel will not hand over the additional territory. They say Israel’s occupation of Gaza has not ended, because it retains control over its borders and airspace.
Palestinian authorities had promised an orderly transition after the Israeli pull-out, but the calls for calm were ignored. Police stood by helplessly as gunmen raised the flags of militant groups and crowds smashed what was left in the ruins or walked off with doors, window frames, toilets and scrap metals.
Empty synagogues were set alight in the Morag, Kfar Darom and Netzarim settlements, as well as a Jewish seminary in Neve Dekalim. In Netzarim, two young Palestinians waving flags stomped on the smouldering debris outside the synagogue, and others took turns hitting the building with a large hammer.
”They [Israelis] destroyed our homes and our mosques. Today it is our turn to destroy theirs,” said a man in Neve Dekalim who gave his name only as Abu Ahmed.
Israel removed about 8 500 Gaza settlers from their homes in 21 settlements last month, but decided on Sunday to leave 19 synagogue buildings intact, drawing complaints from the Palestinians and criticism from the United States.
”Today is the beginning of a new era. The battle is still ahead of us. Gaza is only the first step,” said Mohammed al-Hindi, the leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group, who was accompanied by dozens of followers. ”The beginning will be when we liberate Jerusalem and the West Bank.”
Abdullah Franji, a top official in Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, said: ”Today our people are smelling freedom. We hope that our joy will be complete with free borders, with a connection to the West Bank and to have Gaza as the first step toward achieving the Palestinian state.” – Guardian Unlimited Â