Israel and Gaza
Tears in my heart as I watch the terror reign down on both Israeli’s and Arabs. The loss of one life is too much, however the Hamas terrorist organization has a death grip on the Palestinian people in Gaza. In 2005 the Israeli Government sent the IDF into Gaza to evacuate Israeli Jewish citizens under an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians so that the Palestinians could have their own land free of Jews.
For the first time since 1967, Palestinian authorities would have complete control over exits and entrances to their territory.
That both parties to the agreement, Israel and Palestinians, would upgrade and expand crossings to facilitate the movement of people and goods between Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
Palestinians would be allowed the use of bus and truck convoys to move between Gaza and the West Bank.
Obstacles to movement in the West Bank would be lifted.
A Palestinian seaport was to be constructed on the Gaza littoral.
A Palestinian airport was considered important by both sides, and the United States was encouraging Israel to entertain the idea that construction to that end was to be resumed.
Many Jewish residents protested and refused to leave. The IDF forced them out leaving Gaza a Jew free state. There were scenes of troops dragging screaming and sobbing families from houses and synagogues. Some settlers lit their homes on fire as they evacuated.
When the evacuation of settlers was completed demolition crews razed 2,800 houses, community buildings and 26 synagogues. Two synagogues were dis-assembled and re-assembled in Israel. Also all bodies were removed from a 48 grave cemetery and reburied in locations of their families choosing. The IDF also pulled out it’s forces in the Gaza Strip and withdrew 95% of it’s military equipment.
This completed the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip. However, an official handover ceremony was cancelled after the Palestinian Authority boycotted it in response to Israel's decision not to demolish the synagogues that were left. Israel officially declared the Gaza Strip to be an extraterritorial jurisdiction and the four border crossings on the Israel-Gaza border to be international border crossings, with a valid passport or other appropriate travel documents now required to cross through them.
All of the greenhouses in the settlements were supposed to be intact after the Economic Cooperation Foundation raised $14 million to buy the greenhouses for the Palestinian Authority, although about half of them were previously demolished by their own owners before being evacuated for lack of the agreed payment. Following Israel's withdrawal, Palestinian crowds entered the settlements waving PLO and Hamas flags, firing gunshots into the air and setting off firecrackers, and chanting slogans. Radicals among them desecrated 4 synagogues. Destroyed homes were ransacked. Hamas leaders held celebratory prayers in Kfar Darom synagogue as mobs continued to ransack and loot synagogues. Palestinian Authority security forces did not intervene, and announced that the synagogues would be destroyed. Less than 24 hours after the withdrawal, Palestinian Authority bulldozers began to demolish the remaining synagogues. Hamas took credit for the withdrawal, and one of their banners read: 'Four years of resistance beat ten years of negotiations. A widespread opinion has it that Israel left Gazans with a generous endowment consisting of a rich infrastructure of greenhouses to assist their economic regrowth, and that this was immediately destroyed by the Palestinians. Two months prior to the withdrawal, half of the 21 settlements' greenhouses, spread over 1,000 acres, had been dismantled by their owners, leaving the remainder on 500 acres, placing its business viability on a weak footing. The remaining settlements' greenhouses were looted by Palestinians for 2 days after the transfer, for irrigation pipes, water pumps, plastic sheeting and glass, but the greenhouses themselves remained structurally intact, until order was restored. Palestinian Authority security forces attempted to stop them, but did not have enough manpower to be effective. In some places, there was no security, while some Palestinian police officers joined the looters.
After Israel's withdrawal, the Palestinians were given control over the Gaza Strip, except for the borders, the airspace and the territorial waters.
Following the withdrawal, Hamas was elected as the Palestinian government which started the chain reaction leading to Operation "Summer Rains" later within that year.
A number of Palestinians were leaving the Gaza Strip, due to political disorder and "economic pressure" there. In January 2007, fighting continued between Hamas and Fatah, without any progress towards resolution or reconciliation. Fighting spread to several points in the Gaza Strip with both factions attacking each other. In response to constant attacks by rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Israel launched an airstrike which destroyed a building used by Hamas. In June 2007 the Fatah–Hamas conflict reached its height and Hamas took control over the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians voted for Hamas to control Gaza, and with that the Palestinian people are paying the price for the actions of this terrorist group. The only one’s to blame is Hamas and those that support them.
Hamas provokes Israel by raining down thousands of rockets indiscriminately into the Israeli civilian population. Then the nations of the world condemn Israel for defending herself. Israel responds measure for measure to these attacks with weapons equal to the weapons Hamas launches. Israel shows great restraint in retaliation. Hamas is acting as a proxy for Iran. Israel has the ability to wipe out the Gaza with one bomb. Israel only engages it’s enemy with traditional weapons, when they have a much more sophisticated arsenal on hand. Israel has a much more sophisticated defense system than what they are using now. The nations such as China, Russia, Iran and Jordan have no clue as to the capability Israel has stored. Israel only matches like for like in weaponry. If and when these nations conspire and unite and move against Israel, they will experience a war machine like ever before. Israel has much more weaponry, and ways of deploying these weapons with ground and air vehicles than any nation knows. Israel is so far advanced in technology than the nations. Israel will only implement this technology and weapons only when she does not have any other option. Israel has aircraft that can reach Iran and return without inflight fueling. They will only use these crafts only when they have no other option when defending it’s self from an Iranian nuclear threat. The aircraft are much lighter, faster and their payload is much lighter, however the missiles cause more devastation with less weight. So if you really believe that one day Israel will be wiped off the map, think again about David and Goliath. David had a small stone in which he killed a mighty giant.