"But in the summer of 2005, the Israeli government made a historic decision to withdraw them all. The Israeli prime minister at the time, Ariel Sharon, pushed through the unilateral withdrawal as part of a "road map" for peace advanced by what was known as the Middle East Quartet: the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia."
"The scenes were chaotic: Israeli settler families were weeping, soldiers were carrying children out of their homes, and young kids were running to the beach to get away from them. Although most residents of the 21 settlements followed the official orders to evacuate by an August deadline, some refused and Israeli troops had to force them to go. Following the completion of the Israeli withdrawal in September 2005,"
For decades thousands of Jewish settlers lived in the Gaza Strip under military protection. In summer 2005 the Israeli government carried out a unilateral withdrawal of all settlers as part of a Quartet road map for peace. About 8,000 settlers were evacuated from 21 settlements amid chaotic scenes, including forced removals. Palestinians entered parts of Gaza for the first time in 38 years, celebrated publicly, and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas planted a flag. Some Palestinians destroyed synagogues. Two decades later Israelis debate whether the disengagement contributed to later violence and whether to reestablish Gaza settlements; international bodies condemn the settlements as violations of international law.
Read at www.npr.org
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