    1. Fact: Around 8000 settlers lived on 42% of the 365 square kilometers
    of the Gaza Strip, occupied by Israel in 1967. One million, four hundred
    thousand Palestinians lived on the remaining 58%. Gaza itself is only 5%
    of all of the Occupied Palestinian Territories – and 95% still remains
    occupied. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon throughout the disengagement
    process has declared his intentions to continue the expansion of
    settlements on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.

    Concern: As the settlers leave Gaza, where are they going? Some of the
    Gaza settlers had previously lived illegally on occupied land in Egypt’s
    Sinai Peninsula. We are concerned that the bulk of settlers will move
    again to live in illegal settlements on the Occupied West Bank or East
    Jerusalem.

    2. Fact: The Gaza pullout is not an end to the occupation of the Gaza
    Strip according to International Law until the Palestinians are granted
    full sovereignty over air, land and sea. The pullout from Gaza is not a
    negotiated agreement. It is a well-calculated, unilateral Israeli
    project, which leaves Israel free of any obligations or commitment
    towards a peaceful solution.

    Concern: Gaza will be turned into a giant prison with Israel controlling
    its borders, air space and seaport and suffocating its 1.4 million
    people. Although Israel is still responsible, according to the Fourth
    Geneva Convention, for the well-being of this occupied population, we
    are concerned they will not meet their legal obligations. Palestinians
    are left without a political horizon and this may trigger another
    Intifada.

    3.Fact: The settlers and their sympathizers have called the Gaza pullout
    “a transfer of Jews by Jews.”

    Concern: Transfer is a word dreaded by Palestinians and often advocated
    by extreme right-wing Israelis to “deal” with the Palestinian problem.
    It is now feared that since Sharon has set a precedent with Jewish
    Israelis, he is more likely to get away with the transfer of
    Palestinians.

    4. Fact: The world has watched scenes of the evacuation of the settlers
    from Gaza. Everyone spoke about the suffering of the settlers and the
    pain of the soldiers evacuating them. On the other hand, during the
    evacuation, “angry settlers” killed four Israeli Palestinians in the
    north of Israel and four Palestinian workers in the West Bank.

    Concern: Now that the settlers have been moved, a great deal of the
    blame and anger is directed towards the Palestinians. It is greatly
    feared that settler attacks against Palestinians will increase.
    Palestinians are once again concerned that they will be made to pay the
    price of the suffering of the Jewish people.

    5. Fact: Prime Minister Sharon has declared that Israel will keep and
    annex six settlement blocks on the West Bank as well as all of
    Jerusalem. Silvan Shalom, his foreign minister, together with U.S.
    Secretary of State, Condeleeza Rice, are calling for a regional
    conference where Israel will normalize relations with the Arab States.

    Concern: The pullout has changed the mutually accepted formula of “Land
    for Peace.” Sharon wants a long-term temporary agreement that will
    freeze any final peace agreement and indefinitely delay defining
    borders. The new formula he seems to have developed is “Land for Time.”
    It is clear that Sharon is expecting a reward from the Americans for the
    pullout. However, to grant this partial withdrawal the reward of total
    normalization ignores the fact that the withdrawal is simply one step
    towards dealing with the wider issue of illegal occupation.

    6. Fact: Settlers in Gaza bemoaned the fact that they were being forced
    out of their homes. Few made the connection between their removal and
    the eviction of Palestinians and the destruction of Palestinian homes
    which has continued since 1948. In Gaza alone, since September 2000,
    2,704 homes have been demolished.

    Concern: As the world focuses its sympathy on the relocation of
    displaced settlers, the international community will continue to turn a
    blind eye to the house demolitions and dispossession of the Palestinian
    community.