Israeli sources reported on Thursday that the Army is planning to call up some 8,000 reservists during the implementation of the disengagement plan, slated for August 15 until Mid September.
This number is significantly lower than the earlier estimated number. This decrease is due to shortening the evacuation period from eight to four weeks, the source added.
By comparison, it amounts to merely one quarter of the number of reservists called up during the largest military operation in the West Bank called "Defensive Shield" in which Israel invaded and reoccupied all West Bank cities in April 2002.
The reservists will be sent to guard the borders and to areas in the West Bank from where there will be no withdrawal.
Such preparations would raise the percentage of reserve officers who will serve this year in comparison to previous years. Some 90 percent of reserve battalions will serve in the reserves this year, as compared with 67 percent last year.
A senior military source said Wednesday that there are some reservists who plan to refuse to serve in evacuating settlements for ideological reasons, remarking that reservists would not feel they were doing any different duty from their regular duty at a different time.
Army expects a serious resistance by the settlers to the evacuation. Earlier military reports stated that there will be five police officers for each resisting settler. Two will carry each protestor from the two arms, other two from the two legs and one officer will make sure to open the way for them to the police vehicle where protestors will be held.
