Strategic Assessment

The implementation of Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in northern Samaria was seen by many as a formative event in Israeli foreign policy, especially in relations with the Palestinians, and in the domestic arena. For the first time since the Six Day War, Israel officially recognized that one of its cardinal strategic tenets was counterproductive to its interests. As Prime Minister Sharon stated on August 15, 2005, the day the withdrawal began, “It is no secret that I, like many others, believed and hoped that we could hold on to Netzarim and Kfar Darom forever. But the changing reality in Israel, the region, and the world has forced me to make a reassessment and alter positions.” Shimon Peres was blunter in his definition of events, when he declared on September 12, 2005 that, “remaining in the Gaza Strip was an historical mistake from start to finish.”