Aug 18 Israeli Troops Begin Evacuating Neve Dekalim Synagogue

Israeli Troops Begin Evacuating Neve Dekalim Synagogue
By Larry James
Jerusalem
18 August 2005

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Defiant Jewish settlers atop Neve Dekalim synagogue in Gaza
Israeli soldiers and police forced their way into the synagogue in the center of Neve Dekalim, the largest West Bank settlement and began removing anti-disengagement protesters one by one.

After a two day standoff and a final warning by a police commander to leave peacefully, security forces rushed into the synagogue in Neve Dekalim and began physically removing settlers one by one. In the tightly-packed prayer hall police were greeted with chants of "Jews don't expel Jews."

The protesters were crowded in the main hall, their arms intertwined in an effort to prevent police from removing them.

Neve Dekalim was the largest of the Gaza settlements and many hard-line opponents of the evacuation were determined to make a stand there. Its evacuation was seen as crucial for breaking the settlers resistance. Officials estimate that some 80 percent of the settlers have now been removed