Final Israeli pullout from Gaza

By Aussiegirl

Let's hope this leads to something good. Why is it again that we have to be so careful about all those "holy" sites in Islamic areas? It's always "holy this" and "holy that" -- "the holiest mosque" -- "the holiest city in Islam" -- "the holiest shrine", etc. etc. And isn't that "holiest time" of Ramadan coming up? You know, the one which is usually celebrated with some spectacular acts of murderous terrorism? Why is it exactly that Islam is exempt from the tolerance demanded of all other faiths? And let's not forget those priceless historical treasures, the Bamiyan Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban.

Reuters has the story: "Jubilant Palestinians planted flags on the rubble of Jewish settlements and set synagogues ablaze on Monday as Israeli troops pulled out of the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation.

'This is a day of happiness and joy that the Palestinian people have not witnessed for a century,' President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in Gaza City.
Palestinian security men waving victory signs took over while tanks and armoured vehicles trundled out under cover of darkness, for the first time giving up settlements on land that Palestinians want for a state."

President Abbas's first task will be to enforce order and rein in militant groups which refuse to disarm. Israel has threatened massive retaliation if attacks from Gaza continue.

"They can wave any flag they want, but we expect the Palestinian Authority to take full responsibility," said the general commanding the pullout, Dan Harel.

Militants were among the first to scramble into the settlements, trying to plant their faction's flags on the highest ground. At Abbas's behest, militants kept to a seven-month-old ceasefire to smooth the Israeli pullout.

"Four years of our resistance have done more than 10 years of negotiations," said one masked militant from the Islamic Hamas group, posing a growing political challenge to Abbas.