Israeli and Palestinian forces are moving into position today-Sunday to secure the impending evacuation of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli security officials say police are setting up roadblocks in southern Israel to block Jewish opponents of the pullout from slipping into Gaza settlements.
Palestinian officials say a task force was also due to deploy in areas near the settlement enclaves to prevent any attempt by Palestinian militants to disrupt an evacuation scheduled to begin Monday.
Israel intends on Monday to issue eviction notices in all 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from occupied areas he regards as of little security value. Settlers ordered out will have a two-day grace period until Wednesday to leave before Israeli eviction squads arrive to remove any holdouts.
Information for this report is provided by Reuters.