Geography                            

▪ Gaza Strip pop : 1.8 m

▪ Main cities : Gaza, Khan Yunis, Rafah

Israeli disengagement from Gaza

Map of the Gaza Strip in May 2005, a few months prior to the Israeli withdrawal. The major settlement blocs were the blue-shaded regions of this map.

The Israeli disengagement from Gaza (Hebrew: תוכנית ההתנתקות, Tokhnit HaHitnatkut; in the Disengagement Plan Implementation Law), also known as "Gaza expulsion" and "Hitnatkut", was the withdrawal of the Israeli army from inside the Gaza Strip, and the dismantling of all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip in 2005.

Despite the disengagement, the Gaza Strip is still considered by the United Nations, international human rights organisations and most legal scholars to be under military occupation by Israel, though this is disputed by Israel and other legal scholars.Following the withdrawal, Israel has continued to maintain direct external control over Gaza and indirect control over life within Gaza: it controls Gaza's air and maritime space, and six of Gaza's seven land crossings, it maintains a no-go buffer zone within the territory, and controls Gaza’s population registry, and Gaza remains dependent on Israel for its water, electricity, telecommunications, and other utilities.

The disengagement was proposed in 2003 by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government in June 2004, approved by the Knesset in February 2005 and enacted in August 2005. Israeli citizens who refused to accept government compensation packages and voluntarily vacate their homes prior to the August 15, 2005 deadline, were evicted by Israeli security forces over a period of several days.^[5] The eviction of all residents, demolition of the residential buildings and evacuation of associated security personnel from the Gaza Strip was completed by September 12, 2005.^[6] The eviction and dismantlement of the four settlements in the northern West Bank was completed ten days later. A total of 8,000 Jewish settlers from all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip were relocated. The average settler received compensation of more than U.S $200,000.

Demographic concerns – retaining a Jewish majority in Israeli-controlled areas – played a significant role in the development of the policy, being partly attributed to the campaign by demographer Arnon Soffer.

_______________________________________________

                   back to top      
_______________________________________________

History                                  

Xx

Xx

Xxx

Xxx

Xx

Xx

Basement of Masjid Al Aqsa

_______________________________________________

                   back to top      
_______________________________________________

Muslim                                 

_______________________________________________

                   back to top      
_______________________________________________