JERUSALEM, April 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Israel Defence Forces and police have set up an elite force to deal with possible violent opposition to the planned summer withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank, the Ha'aretz daily said on Friday.

   Confrontations between Jewish settlers and Israeli troops are expected during the dismantling of 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank.

   Most settler leaders have called for passive resistance, while some others have warned that protests could quickly spin out of control.

   Israeli security officials confirmed that the army and police have established a special commando unit to deal with violent protests.

   The unit includes members of the police Special Anti-Terror Command, the naval commando unit, and the Prison Service's riot squad. It will be commanded by Brig.-Gen. Amos Ben-Avraham, a veteran of the army's elite Sayeret Matkal unit.

   The force will be deployed close to the settlements scheduled for evacuation, and will serve as "intervention forces" to deal with possible violent opposition to the pullout, including the use of live weapons.

   The force choose to stay out of the settlements in a bid not to stir up extra tension, a senior security source was quoted as saying.

   The rules of engagement for the operation have yet to be determined, but they are likely to be restricted to extreme cases in which the lives of the security forces are at risk.

   Both the IDF and Israel Police are preparing for various "horror scenarios," including possible attempts to reconstruct the "bunker" set up by Kach members during the evacuation of Yamit in Sinai in 1982, when those holed up there threatened to blow themselves up.

   Meanwhile, a number of settler leaders, politicians and rabbis have been holding behind-the-scenes talks with the IDF in an effort to ensure that the evacuation does not deteriorate into bloodshed.

   One issue under discussion is for the settlers to give up their arms a day or two before the evacuation begins, so as to prevent the possibility of shooting incidents. Enditem