ABSTRACT
The decision to withdraw the Israeli presence – military and civilian – unilaterally from Gaza in August 2005 marked the most fundamental change in Israeli policy since the 1967 war and the resulting occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. The disengagement, which extended beyond Gaza, reflected the widely held recognition that neither the status quo (occupation) nor the remnants of the Oslo negotiation framework (1993-2000) served Israel’s interests. But the implementation of an alternative policy was traumatic and dramatic for both proponents and opponents.
