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Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Mohammad Dahlan and Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz reached an agreement Tuesday on cleaning up the rubble of Gaza Strip settlements set to be evacuated under the disengagement plan slated to start by midnight August 14th

Headline 0801005
Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Mohammad Dahlan and Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz reached an agreement Tuesday on cleaning up the rubble of Gaza Strip settlements set to be evacuated under the disengagement plan slated to start by midnight August 14th.

The two sides agreed that Israeli army bulldozers will demolish the walls of the houses, in what was described as "initial demolition." Palestinian and Egyptian companies hired by the World Bank will then complete the demolition after the Israeli pullout.

The rubble of the settlements will be buried in Sinai or within the Gaza Strip, while some of the remainders will be recycled for Palestinian construction in the Gaza strip. Meanwhile, the Israeli Ministry of Environment will take care of the burial of hazardous materials, such as asbestos, in special locations within Israeli territory. The demolition process is expected to last between one-and-a-half to two months.