The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Thursday that a senior military source said that Israel might detonate synagogues and religious schools before it evacuates from the Gaza Strip in accordance with its disengagement plan.
“The army intends to use explosives to detonate these buildings and conduct the evacuation as soon as possible,†the Israeli military source said. “It will take a long time if we use bulldozersâ€Â.
Also, the source added, if the army does not blow the synagogues up, “the Palestinians might desecrate the remains of the holy buildingsâ€Â.
According to the source, the military obtained a halakhic ruling – a Jewish religious decree – allowing the army to charge the synagogues with explosives and detonate them.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli government decided in June 2004 to dismantle the synagogues and rebuild them in Israel.
Amos Yaron, Director General of the Israeli Defense Ministry, said soldiers cannot dismantle the religious building, synagogues, and schools and move them to Israel.
