Monday, April 18 2005 10:30 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jerusalem: The Israeli Army yesterday (Apr 17, 2005) conducted a largescale war game to prepare for the evacuation of Gaza Strip and some settlements in the West Bank under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial disengagement plan.

Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Moshe Ya'alon, commanded the exercise dubbed "Mind Game", three months ahead of the scheduled evacuation, in which all possible scenarios were simulated, including violent confrontation with settlers, a media report said.

The war game was aimed at formulating ways to counter possible complications ranging from passive settler resistance and blocking of highways to settlers barricading themselves in their homes, suicide threats, firing on evacuating forces and refusal of soldiers to obey orders, Israeli Army Radio said.

Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered that all 8,000 residents of the 21 settlements in Gaza, as well as several hundred living in four small settlements in West Bank, disarm before the evacuation begins.

The police forces are slated to carry out similar exercises later this week on Wednesday (Apr 20, 2005), the report said.

In addition, the IDF is to also establish two new divisions consisting of over 4,000 career officers and Non-Commissioned Officers from all Army units to execute the plan.

The two divisions will train at the Tze'elim base in southern Israel and will be called in when and if a need arose for them to assist in evacuating settlers, the Radio said.