Israel troops storm synagogue

Gaza City - Israeli troops stormed one of the last pockets of resistance to withdrawal from Gaza on Friday, dragging settlers and their supporters screaming and sobbing from a settlement synagogue.

Settlers took to rooftops in the tiny Gadid enclave shouting "Nazis" as security forces swept in, hours after clearing Gaza's main anti-pullout strongholds, all but breaking the back of opposition to ending 38 years of occupation.

With the latest poll confirming solid support among the Israeli public for the first removal of settlements from land Palestinians want for a state, troops rushed to wrap up their toughest tasks before the start of the Jewish Sabbath at sunset.

Pushing past burning barricades, security forces in riot gear surrounded Gadid's synagogue and forced their way in as 90 protesters who had barricaded themselves inside lay on the floor, crying and shouting.

Police wrestled them out one by one, as they had in assaults on Thursday on two other synagogues in hardline settlements.

"This is a desecration of everything that is sacred to Jews," said Boaz Puterel, 30, echoing the belief of ultranationalist Israelis that the Gaza Strip is part of God's gift to the Jewish people and should never be relinquished.

More than 80 percent of Gaza's 8,500 settlers have been evacuated under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's "disengagement plan," and officials said the operation could be completed by Tuesday, far ahead of schedule.

Many of Gadid's 350 residents had already left before troops moved in, but a few families and dozens of protesters defiantly remained. Columns of smoke rose from piles of burning tires and debris as soldiers went door to door ordering people out.

After negotiations failed on Thursday, troops stormed synagogues in Neve Dekalim, the biggest Gaza enclave, and in the religious community of Kfar Darom, scene of the most frenzied clashes.

Police used cranes and water cannon to battle protesters on the roof of Kfar Darom's house of worship, who fought back with rocks, paint-filled light bulbs and chemical irritants. The army said 31 security personnel were hurt.

Opponents of the pullout were also dragged kicking and screaming from Neve Dekalim's synagogue after troops moved in.

"I am totally exhausted, but it has not been for nothing," said protester Shlomit Binyamin, 17, in Neve Dekalim. "I hope the people of Israel will ensure there will be no more disengagement. We must continue the fight."

Dramatic television footage beamed around the world showed Israeli forces forcibly evicting settlers, and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Sharon had shown courage.

Along with a hard core of settlers, hundreds of rightists who had infiltrated settlements in the past few weeks have also been expelled or detained.

Israeli opponents of the pullout call it a victory for Palestinian militants -- a view echoed by the gunmen themselves -- and a betrayal of a biblical claim that could set a precedent elsewhere.

Sharon says the process will reduce conflict with the Palestinians and improve Israeli security. A new poll for the daily Yedioth Ahronoth showed 59 percent support it.

Political analysts say the Gaza evacuation could also reduce foreign pressure to give up bigger settlements in the West Bank, land the Palestinians also want.

Some mainstream Israelis believe anti-pullout forces are trying to make the process as traumatic as possible so the government will not attempt future withdrawals.

Palestinians welcome the removal of the Gaza settlers and another 500 from the West Bank, but fear Israel aims to keep most of the other communities housing 230,000 settlers forever. Some 3.8 million Palestinians live in Gaza and the West Bank.

Housing blocks in Neve Dekalim stood empty of life after the evacuations. A bicycle lay abandoned, the emblematic orange ribbons of protesting settlers tied to its handlebars.

Most of the residents left peacefully after making their protest -- and possibly losing a slice of compensation money -- by staying beyond an official deadline. Many were carried from their homes weeping in anguish.

Seventeen of 21 Gaza settlements are now clear. The isolated enclave of Netzarim stilled loomed as a potential trouble spot. But community leaders said they had agreed to leave on Monday.

Two of four West Bank settlements on the evacuation list are already empty and attention is expected to shift to the others.

The White House, which sees the withdrawal as a way to boost peacemaking prospects, praised Israel's pullout. Israel hopes to win $2.2 billion in new aid from its U.S. ally after the withdrawal.

Sharon has said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas must dismantle powerful militant factions before there can be any progress to statehood talks under a U.S.-sponsored "road map."

U.N. chief Annan urged Palestinian leaders to show their commitment to peace and security "by establishing the rule of law in Gaza following the withdrawal." He urged both sides to exercise restraint.

Israel says the pullout -- which will be complete when the army leaves four weeks after the settler evacuation -- will end its occupation of Gaza.

But Palestinians say that can only happen once they gain full control of borders and airspace. Israel is reluctant to allow that for now, citing security reasons. The World Court brands settlements illegal. Israel disputes this. -- Reuters

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