About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (February 2, 2005)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaaaub0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS22000 Updated February 2, 2005 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Israel's Proposal to Withdraw from Gaza Clyde R. Mark Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary In December 2003, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon proposed that Israel withdraw its 7,500 settlers and 21 settlements from the Gaza Strip. President Bush has endorsed the plan, which is not part of the Road Map peace plan. Most Israelis support Sharon's proposal, but some Israelis oppose withdrawing from Gaza for religious or nationalist reasons. The report will be updated as needed. Background: the Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip is 140 square miles (362 square kilometers), about twice the size of Washington, D.C., with a population of approximately 7,500 Israeli Jews living in 21 settlements and 1,325,000 Palestinian Arabs.' The Gaza area was occupied by Egyptian forces at the end of the 1948-1949 war. From 1949 to 1967, Egypt administered but did not claim the territory. Israel occupied the Gaza Strip during the 1967 war and administered the area until the 1994 agreement recognized Palestinian sovereignty over 70% of the strip. Shortly after the 1967 conflict, Israeli civilian settlers began establishing settlements in the West Bank, the Sinai, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip. The future of West Bank and Gaza settlements is supposed to be a subject of final negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.2 The Israeli military used force to remove some of the Israeli settlers from the Sinai settlements in 1982 when Israel withdrew in accordance with the 1978 Camp David Agreement and the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt. Israeli settlers want to remain in Gaza for two primary reasons; either they are seeking the economic and personal advantages of less expensive housing, living space, and a pleasant setting for their homes and businesses, or they believe that Gaza is a part of traditional Israel and they are fulfilling a religious and historical duty by claiming the land for a Jewish state. 1 See map, page 6. 2 Declaration of Principles, Article V, Number 3. September 13, 1993. Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most