Israel has completed its pullout from Gaza, a piece of territory it has controlled since 1967. Is this the start of a final road to peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis? Or will it be a futile gesture that leaves Israel vulnerable to further terrorist attacks?
by Darris McNeely
Last month the world watched the scenes of Israeli Defense Forces evacuating fellow Israelis from their homes in what is called the Gaza Strip, a narrow piece of land in southwest Israel bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
In February the Israeli government voted to implement Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip. The plan required the dismantling of all Israeli settlements there, and the removal of all Israeli settlers and military bases from the Strip.
What is even more remarkable is the fact that this pullout was engineered by Ariel Sharon, the former general who chased the Palestinians out of Lebanon in 1982 and who has been an adamant advocate of holding on to territory annexed through the years of war.
But time has changed his perspective. Sharon has made a calculated decision to withdraw from territory he knows is not defensible. There is no expectation of concessions from the Palestinians. The current Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has nothing to offer in return for Gaza.
What Israel hopes to gain is a more manageable border, one with walls and security that will keep the terrorists out. They are prepared for a long wait, either for a Palestinian leader who sincerely wants peace to step forward, or for other nations to put pressure on the Arab world to accept Israel and decide to wage peace instead of war. It could be a long wait indeed.
Wars and peace
Since 1948 Israel has battled Egypt, Syria, Jordan and the Palestinians in four major wars. To the credit of President Anwar Sadat and King Hussein, peace treaties were concluded with Egypt and Jordan that at least have brought some breathing space. Syria has signed no treaty or set of accords with Israel.
