The main aim of the "separation" was strategic: to get rid of the small and bothersome Gaza Strip in order to concentrate on the struggle against the Palestinian people in the West Bank - contrary to the impression created in the world, that Sharon had "started down the path of peace".

92 Sharon tried to convince the leaders of the settlers that it was worthwhile to give up some far-away settlements in order to concentrate on the enlargement of the important settlement blocs. However, these leaders were afraid that the evacuation of the settlements in the Gaza Strip would create a dangerous precedent and refused their assent.The evacuation turned into a tear-soaked melodrama designed to convince the world that any future large evacuation would create a profound national crisis.

Peace demonstration: To understand the other

Photo: Rachel Avnery

93 The "separation" was carried out without any agreement or dialogue with the Palestinians, in adherence to the principle of "unilateral steps". It left behind a power vacuum which was filled by Hamas.The Israeli government asserted that it had voluntarily "given up" the Strip and terminated the occupation, but the Palestinians felt that the Israeli occupation was continuing with even more force, since Israel cut off the Strip on land, on the sea and in the air.The result: the Palestinian organizations started to launch home made "Qassam" rockets against the neighboring Israeli towns and villages, and Israel imposed on the Strip a blockade that deprived the inhabitants of raw materials and even medicines and foodstuffs.The situation once again created two

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