Sharon shocked his government by announcing plans for the evacuation of 17 illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza. His statements angered his rightist and extreme coalition and even saw members of his own Likud party defect. However, Sharon’s plan must be viewed in context. Faced with an indictment on bribery charges and hoping to meet President Bush later this month to present his plan for unilateral disengagement, Sharon wanted to deflect pressure and appear serious in his ability to politically move the Middle East conflict forward. While the withdrawal of settlements is welcomed by Palestinians, it is important to differentiate between planning to remove settlements and actually implementing permanent evacuation. Further, Sharon’s plan intends to save the vast majority of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Reports had surfaced that Sharon planned to evacuate settlements last week, but were promptly denied by his spokespeople. However, it appears Sharon has decided to stun his party as he told them of his “intention to carry out an evacuation — sorry, relocation — of settlements that cause us problems and of places that we will not hold onto anyway in a final settlement, like the Gaza settlements." Sharon stated, "I am working on the assumption that in the future there will be no Jews in Gaza." All Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza are considered illegal under international law.
In the aftermath of what many took as a far-reaching decision by the Prime Minister, his Foreign Minister, Silvan Shalom, stressed that no binding decision had been made. "This subject has to come to cabinet decision and Knesset [parliament] decision," he said, adding that he was against the plan. Sharon’ spokesman, Ranaan Gissin, cautioned that evacuating all 17 illegal settlements in Gaza was the most far-reaching of three options that Mr. Sharon was preparing to submit for the approval of his cabinet. "It may be less settlements that have to be evacuated," Mr. Gissin said. "We have to prepare for an interim plan that will maximize security for our citizens and minimize friction with the Palestinians."
Sharon, like always, withheld from providing a time frame for removing the settlements, in what has become a well recognized tactic that leaves him wiggle room to get out of any emerging tight spots. That said, Sharon has suggested that the dismantling could take some time. "It's not a simple matter," he was quoted as saying. However, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Sharon’s close friend and ally, gave a less vague answer by opining that the plan might be implemented as early as mid-year.
Throughout the past couple of months, Sharon has threatened to impose on the Palestinians a plan to unilaterally disengage, if the failed “road map” continued to fail. While he had previously admitted that this would involve the evacuation of some Jewish settlements, Monday's comments signified the first time he had indicated the scale or location of the pullout. His plan entails removal of all but two or three enclaves in Gaza and a mere 10 of the 120 illegal settlements in the West Bank. Gaza, which is stranded between the Mediterranean Sea and a closely guarded Israeli fence, is about 7 miles wide and 25 miles long. 7,500 Israeli settlers have forcefully set up settlements among 1.2 million impoverished Palestinians. In the West Bank, about 230,000 settlers live in 125 settlements among more than two million Palestinians.
Sharon has made plenty of claims in the past to take certain action, which he has never actually implemented. So, viewing his intention to remove the Gaza settlements with caution is well advised. One thing is clear; Sharon views unilateral disengagement as the only viable plan. The danger is for the international community to be so wrapped up with his cosmetic compromises, such as the removal of a dozen settlements, that they turn a blind eye as Israeli settlements in the West Bank flourish turning Palestinian territories into mere enclaves.