Strategic Assessment

In the months preceding the disengagement, Israeli society rehearsed terrifying scenarios of the evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria. Even Prime Minister Sharon himself, in somewhat of a careless comment, spoke of the potential of civil war. Opponents of the disengagement plan warned that the withdrawal would result in an irreparable split between the state and the religious Zionist population, a large, active sector of the Israeli public. Almost everyone believed that the disturbing scenes witnessed during the Israeli evacuation of Yamit in 1982 did not compare to what awaited Israel in the Gaza Strip settlements. Senior IDF commanders spoke of a best-case scenario that included broken arms and legs, and Soroka hospital in Beer Sheva was instructed to make preparations to treat 200 injured people per day. Against this background of grim predictions, the smooth, quick evacuation, which surpassed even the best expectations, allowed Israeli society to breathe an immense sigh of relief.