Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said the army and police were prepared to implement the Gaza Strip pullout, insisting that extremist violence against the plan was totally unacceptable.
"The army and police will present their preparedness and I tell you, they are ready," he told a group of MPs on Tuesday. The Israeli army is expected to call up 17 battalions of reservists, with 43,000 police and soldiers due to be enlisted in the mass evacuation plan, public radio reported.
"I want to say for the thousandth time, the disengagement will take place on the dates set by the government and the parliament ... In the middle of next month, Israel will start leaving Gaza and the northern West Bank," Sharon said.
