KISSUFIM, Gaza Strip (Reuters) -     Israel sealed off all Jewish settlements in the occupied     Gaza Strip on Wednesday to choke resistance to a planned withdrawal from the territory in mid-August, a move that stoked rightist anger.
Meanwhile in the     West Bank, Israeli forces retook the city of Tulkarm in an offensive the army said was aimed at the Islamic Jihad group behind a suicide bombing that killed two teenage girls and two women in Israel on Tuesday.
Prime Minister     Ariel Sharon signed an order closing Gaza's 21 settlements to non-residents after ultranationalists announced plans for a march that could have brought an influx of thousands of protesters next week.
Hundreds of Gaza settlers responded by marching across Kissufim, a crossing on the boundary with Israel. When the settlers refused to show their residency permits, soldiers who had been deployed in force barred their re-entry into Gaza.
"Jews don't expel Jews," the settlers chanted. Many sat down in the sand, vowing to stay put until the closure was revoked.

Protests spread in Israel too. Scores of protestors briefly blocked the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway until they were dispersed by police. A suspected far-right activist was arrested after scuffling with bodyguards outside Sharon's office in Jerusalem.
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By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER
The European Union is willing to serve as a third-party presence at the Rafah crossing after Israel leaves the Gaza Strip, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told The Jerusalem Post Tuesday.
In such a capacity, the EU would be responsible for customs control. Solana was less definitive when it came to possibly assuming security responsibilities, but said, "We are very open to cooperation."
Israel, however, seems to be less open to the prospect.

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