Israel Gaza Withdrawal 2005: What Happened After They Left
Very briefly — for those not in the know. Those wishing to learn more in detail will be able to find quite detailed materials online. I just categorically don’t recommend reading materials from russian sources due to their bias, prejudice, and outright lies. So, the Gaza Strip is a territory on the Mediterranean coast that is one of two parts of the partially recognized Arab quasi-state of Palestine (along with the West Bank territory). Until the Israel Gaza withdrawal 2005, Israeli troops and settlements remained inside the Strip.
After that disengagement, Gaza became fully controlled from within by Palestinian authorities. To the east and north, the sector borders Israel, from which it is separated by a security fence with checkpoints. To the southwest, it borders Egypt by land. The length of the Gaza Strip is approximately 40 km, width — from 6 to 12 km. Total area — about 360 km². Capital — the city of Gaza.
According to the UN Partition Plan for Palestine (1947) into Arab and Jewish states, the sector was part of the territory allocated for creating an Arab state. As a result of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-1949, which began after the UN decision and subsequent formation of the state of Israel, no Arab state was created. From 1948 to 1967, the sector was under Egyptian control.
Palestinian National Authority
Following the Six-Day War, from 1967 to 2005, the sector was under Israeli control. According to the Oslo Accords (1993), signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, Israel temporarily provides military control over the Gaza Strip’s airspace, some of its land borders (the rest are under Egyptian control), and territorial waters. As a result of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was formed based on the West Bank and the sector.
During the Israeli control period from 1967 to 2005, fortified settlements were built in the sector. You can find photos of these settlements online — neat cottages surrounded by gardens. But both these settlements and Israeli territory within the “green line” (internationally recognized border) constantly suffered terrorist attacks and shelling. In the opinion of many, and not just left-wing politicians and analysts, if Israel withdrew from the sector and gave Arabs the opportunity to live as they want, this would contribute if not to establishing peace, then at least to stopping terrorist attacks and shelling.
Israel Gaza Withdrawal 2005: High Hopes, Brutal Reality
In August 2005, during implementation of the “Unilateral Disengagement Plan,” Israel withdrew troops from the sector and liquidated its settlements. On August 15, 2005, the Israeli government began forced evacuation of Gaza residents — Israeli citizens (8,500 people) — and withdrawal of Israeli troops from the sector. By August 22, all Israelis who permanently lived there left the Gaza Strip. On September 12, the last Israeli soldier was withdrawn, completing a 38-year Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, only military objects were demolished — fortifications, checkpoints, etc. Civilian objects — residential buildings, public structures — remained untouched. Take them, use them! What did the Arabs do as soon as the Israeli army left the sector? They completely destroyed EVERYTHING! They looted and destroyed houses, burned and cut down gardens.
First Results
Forecasts by Israeli and international political scientists regarding normalization of relations with Israel after evacuation of Israeli settlements didn’t come true. On January 25, 2006, in the first democratic elections in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Palestinian fundamentalist Islamist movement “HAMAS” won. Many countries recognize it as terrorist.
Because HAMAS’s program provides for destroying the state of Israel and replacing it with a Muslim theocracy, its leadership, upon coming to power, refused to recognize agreements previously concluded by Palestinians with Israel. They refused to disarm their militants. Terror not only didn’t stop but was completely transferred to Israeli territory, within the “green line” borders. Rocket and mortar shelling intensified. By early 2011 alone, terrorists fired more than 11,000 rockets and mines from the Gaza Strip at cities in southern Israel.
Terror and smuggling
They had to stop construction of an airport and seaport in Gaza using the Air Force. Even before completing their construction, they were already being used for arms smuggling. They had to spend millions on building a separation fence with equipped checkpoints. Why checkpoints? Because Israel still almost completely provides Gaza with everything necessary! Including fuel, electricity, medicines, “humanitarian aid,” etc. In “humanitarian cases,” they allow Arabs to be treated in Israeli hospitals, etc.
At the same time, practically all money that the UN and international community transfer to the sector (and these are very considerable sums!) goes to building terrorist and smuggling tunnels into Israeli and Egyptian territories, creating rockets, and financing terror.
Israel’s Counterterrorism Operations in Gaza
Three major ground Counterterrorism Operations were conducted: Operation “Cast Lead” from December 27, 2008, to January 20, 2009; Operation “Pillar of Defense” from November 14 to 21, 2012; Operation “Protective Edge” from July 7 to August 26, 2014. They involved considerable difficulties and soldier deaths (Does this remind you of anything?). Enormous funds were spent creating and developing the short-range missile defense system “Iron Dome” to protect Israeli settlements from rocket fire — primarily from the Gaza Strip.
Israel completed the Israel Gaza withdrawal 2005, but Hamas turned the Strip into a fortress. Israel invests enormous resources into detecting tunnels and building barriers that prevent militants from crossing into its territory. Engineers develop new systems to remotely destroy underground routes. Israeli forces launch operations to dismantle Hamas infrastructure again and again. Yet politicians stop them too early. Pressure from the international community and local leftists interrupts the mission every time. As a result, Hamas restores everything. The situation returns to square one.
This material was provided by author pan_futiy. The next part is available here. Stylistics and orthography were almost unchanged. The article author’s views may partially or completely not coincide with editorial ones.
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