The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict #81: "Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential." - Winston Churchill
Good morning, friends! A new week has started, and we're kicking off another history session on your social media account. Imagine how the school would be in the future: a part of social media. Since we spend so much time here, we need to learn how to leverage it not only for work or social interactions but also for acquiring knowledge regularly. Your presence is deeply appreciated, and I'd love to see your active participation in the comments below.
Recap: The Disengagement Plan
The disengagement plan included the evacuation of the settlements and IDF forces in the Gaza Strip and a precise return to the Green Line border from 1967. Also, handing over control of the entire Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority, along with the evacuation of four isolated settlements and IDF posts in northern Samaria. The plan was formulated after the realization that during the 38 years of Israel's rule over the Gaza Strip, 282 Israelis were murdered, with 124 of the deaths occurring during the years of the second intifada, i.e., from 2000. The number of attacks that became a daily routine and the number of dead and wounded was unbearable for the Israeli public, who demanded a political solution to the security problem.
Many protest activities were organized by the Yesha Council, including massive demonstrations. Along with the demonstrations, right-wing people wrote op-eds against secession and tried to convince public opinion that the plan was harmful. However, the Israeli public supported it because they are peace-seekers. The Knesset approved the disengagement plan, which is the law regulating the evacuation of the settlements and the compensation to the evacuees, in February 2005. Although petitions against the plan were submitted to the Supreme Court, they were all rejected, and the date for the evacuation of the settlements was set for August 15, 2005. The most prominent supporter of the plan, who was also one of its architects, was Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Never-Ending List of 2005
The year 2005 was not quiet. Despite the progress towards evacuation in the disengagement plan, the attacks continued, and the reality became increasingly difficult. The year 2005 opened with a shooting attack at the Karni Crossing in which 6 were murdered and 5 injured. It continued with a suicide attack outside the "Hastage" nightclub in Tel Aviv, in which 5 were murdered and 50 wounded, a second suicide attack outside the Sharon Mall in Netanya where 5 were murdered and 90 wounded, a suicide attack in a market in Hadera in which 6 were murdered and 55 were wounded, and in a third suicide attack in the Sharon Mall in Netanya, in which 5 were murdered and 51 were injured. These were the prominent attacks of 2005; click on the link for the complete list of terror attacks.
The Implementation of the Disengagement Plan
The evacuation of civilians from the Gaza Strip was completed within eight days of the target date, and the IDF evacuation from the Gaza Strip was completed at the beginning of September. As part of the evacuation, graves located in the Gush Katif cemetery were moved to cemeteries throughout the country. The synagogues and religious buildings were evacuated by the members of the military rabbinate, who took care not to leave any holy objects behind. In most settlements, the Torah books were removed from the synagogues by the rabbi of the settlement and the residents who agreed to evacuate. The day after the evacuation, mass Palestinian celebrations were held in the Jewish settlements that were evacuated from the Gaza Strip, and most of the synagogues were vandalized and burned.
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Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke on January 4, 2006, and his powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert. In April of that year, Olmert became acting prime minister until the formation of the next government shortly after.
Spoiler: What happened after the disengagement and evacuation of the Gaza Strip?
Briefly, in January 2006, the Hamas movement won the elections in the Palestinian Authority and established a government led by Ismail Haniyeh. In June 2006, Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier, was kidnapped. In June 2007, Hamas carried out a military coup and took control of the Strip by force. In response, Israel declared the Gaza Strip a "hostile entity" and imposed an economic blockade on the Strip, which led to damage to the standard of living of the Gaza Strip's residents.
We will continue to discuss what happened in Israel, the Gaza Strip, and Lebanon in the next lesson.
That's all for today, class. We'll continue tomorrow.
Take care.