Residents of Israeli settlements link arms to prevent Israeli soldiers from entering the rear entrance of the locality of Neve Dekalim, in Gush Katif, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Aug. 15, 2005. (Credit: AFP)
It was 20 years ago. Between Aug. 15 and Sept. 12, 2005, around 1,000 holdouts among the approximately 8,000 Jewish settlers — men, women and children, mostly religious fundamentalists who believed their presence in Gaza was a divine mission — were forcibly removed from their homes by the Israeli army, with tears and indignation.The Gush Katif settlement, consisting of 21 colonies spread across the strip of land conquered during the Six-Day War, had become too costly in security terms for Israel during the second intifada (2000-2005).An increased military presence was necessary to defend this group of homes — illegal under international law, frequently targeted by Qassam rocket attacks, and viewed by many in the Israeli public as a cause of the suicide bombings that killed people on buses in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Read more Arab world...
It was 20 years ago. Between Aug. 15 and Sept. 12, 2005, around 1,000 holdouts among the approximately 8,000 Jewish settlers — men, women and children, mostly religious fundamentalists who believed their presence in Gaza was a divine mission — were forcibly removed from their homes by the Israeli army, with tears and indignation.The Gush Katif settlement, consisting of 21 colonies spread across the strip of land conquered during the Six-Day War, had become too costly in security terms for Israel during the second intifada (2000-2005).An increased military presence was necessary to defend this group of homes — illegal under international law, frequently targeted by Qassam rocket attacks, and viewed by many in the Israeli public as a cause of the suicide bombings that killed people on buses in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Read more Arab...
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon, demolishes buildings in Bint Jbeil