BEIJING, Aug. 9 -- An Israeli military court on Tuesday sentenced an officer to 21 days imprisonment for refusing to take part in the evacuation of settlements from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank.

    The first lieutenant, who served as a commander in a transport battalion, told his commanders two days ago that he was unable to follow pullout orders for ideological reasons, saying that he has relatives who live in the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip, the court said in a statement.     

    The officer was given 24 hours to take back his decision, but he refused and was put on trial, the statement said.     

    Also on Tuesday, two soldiers from the paratroops brigade retracted their previous day's refusal to take part in the disengagement.     

    The two paratroops, both from West Bank settlements, were deployed together with their camp in the settlement of Sa-Nur in the northern West Bank, which is slated for evacuation.     

    The disengagement plan, which was first raised by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in late 2003, has met strong opposition from the settlers and far-right extremists.     

    Some rabbis called on the soldiers to disobey military orders and refuse taking part in the implementation of the pullout from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank due to begin on Aug. 15.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)