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Israel closes Gaza settlements to nonresidents
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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSJERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel closed off access to Gaza settlements by nonresidents Wednesday ahead of next week's planned march to protest Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. According to the prime minister's office, the closure was ordered by Sharon after consultations with his defense minister and security heads. In shutting down access, the army closed Kissufim Crossing -- the only entrance to the main Gaza settlement block. Sharon announced plans last year to close 21 settlements and move about 8,000 Israelis from Gaza, which is also home to about 1.3 million Palestinians. Israel plans to remove Jewish settlers, and the Israeli troops who guard them, from Gaza and parts of the West Bank by mid-August. Israel has controlled the 138-square-mile territory since capturing it from Egypt during the 1967 Six-Day War. By keeping nonresidents out of Israeli settlements, the government is trying to prevent interference by those who oppose the pullout. The withdrawal plan has generated anger among Israeli settlers and their supporters, who have staged protests and scuffled with police and Palestinians in recent weeks. A protest march is scheduled for Monday, July 18. Less than three weeks ago, the Israeli army declared all Gaza settlements a controlled military zone before ousting a hotel filled with right-wing protesters who oppose the government's plan to withdraw from Gaza. 
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