Extremist settlers smuggle arms from W. Bank to Gaza

Jewish settlers are smuggling different kinds of weapons and ammunitions from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip to resist Israeli soldiers during the evacuation process, police said.

Israeli police sources said that they arrested an Israeli settler from the coastal city of Ashkelon, along with his 20-year-old son suspected of being responsible for the arms smuggling.

They said that they found huge quantities of ammunitions in a toy's store that the man owns.

"The suspects denied any involvement in the smuggling operations alleging that the ammunitions belonged to a settler from the Eli Sinai settlement in Gaza Strip that prompted the police to arrest him; however he vehemently denied all the allegations against him", the sources said.

Israel will evacuate all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip as well as four other enclaves in the northern West Bank in mid-August.

Some 9,000 settlers live in the areas slated for evacuation. But with settlers' fierce opposition, security forces are bracing for a tough, and possibly violent evacuation.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that security forces assigned to carry out the disengagement plan will outnumber the settlers they evacuate five to one.

"About 41,000 male and female soldiers will take part in the evacuation, and 3,800 police," Mofaz told a stormy session of MPs, Jewish settlers and ministry officials on the withdrawal plan.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Israel would carry out the withdrawal plan as scheduled, despite fierce opposition to the plan by Jewish extremists who clashed with police, soldiers and Palestinians last week.

Sharon also made it clear that the Israeli government did not intend to put up with violent protests.

"It is permissible to protest and demonstrate, but the state of Israel will not agree that roads be blocked, that oil and nails be thrown on the roads and that police and soldiers be beaten," Sharon said. "We will not agree to this in any way."

Israel's Attorney General Meni Mazuz said that at least 1,000 settlers have been arrested in road protests, "not just people who were just waving flags, but people who had full gas canisters and were planning to blow them up" on a main highway during rush hour.

"This is not legitimate resistance in a democracy or any country," Mazuz said.

Israeli officials, including Sharon, have been the subject of death threats from Jewish extremists opposed to the withdrawal plan.

Pullout opponents have also called on settlers not to cooperate with the Israeli police during the withdrawal, and some settlers who are ready to leave their settlements say they have been threatened and ostracized.