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.