Palestnians to get back land after four decades

The Palestinians were, however, rejoicing on liberation of a part (about 2% of the total occupied land) of their land. This is what the situation is as a result of unilateral disengagement by Sharon from Gaza, a tiny strip of land (about 150 sq. km) bordering Egypt. The land was declared as the occupied land and as such Jewish settlements there were illegal in terms of international law. Indeed, Sharon was the father of settlements as it is he who, as Housing and Settlement Minister, promoted settlements in the occupied land by giving government financial support to the Israeli settlers.

The world hasn't changed much so far as Sharon is concerned, but, as it seems, he has been under some pressure from President Bush to do something for the Palestinians as, probably President Bush thought, some progress in Israeli-Palestinian issue may take some heat off Iraqi insurgency. Otherwise, Sharon, a person with long record of butchering Palestinians and ever expanding land expropriation, would not suddenly turn peacemaker. He knows that this ultimately may lead to his political death, but he gambled as at present 70 per cent Israelis do support Gaza disengagement. For Israelis the reason is obvious: Gaza was indefensible and brought uncontrollable security problems for the mainland Israelis. This is why Hamas tried to take the credit that it is its resistance fight that has led to Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.

The disengagement was, however, readily supported by Labor Party and that prevented the fall of Sharon government and saved him from going for fresh general election as several ministers, including Benjamin Netanyahu, of his party resigned on the issue. With this background Sharon proceeded with Gaza withdrawal. This was duly passed by the Knesset (parliament) and thereafter it was declared by Israel that settlements in Gaza were illegal. If Gaza settlements are illegal, all settlements are illegal; this is what the international law also says. And Israel is in breach of international law and continues to remain so until it withdraws totally from the occupied land.

After the formal decision of Israeli government, Israeli forces started moving into the settlements to distribute the notices asking all settlers to leave by a set date which was August 15, 2005, with a grace period of 48 hours. Only a small number left by the due date and this is why the Israeli army had to start their evacuation operation. However, about half of the settlers left by the grace period of 48 hours, but action had to be taken to evict the rest by force from their homes and finally from the synagogues. The forced evacuation made the disengagement process very difficult and painful to the settlers' who have been living there for the last 38 years. It was well known that settlers life was fairly comfortable with good houses with gardens and in many cases with green houses -- something totally different from the Palestinians living on the other side of Gaza, only a couple of yards away, in squalid refugee camps leading practically a gutter life though these are the people who are the real owners of the land in Gaza.

The electronic media continued their coverage of Israeli operation practically non-stop. Israeli troops were totally unarmed during the operation -- something the world has never witnessed before in any Israeli operation in the field. They were indeed under strict orders not to retaliate or attack any settler even under extreme provocations. Israeli troops did a marvellous job; they behaved like angels with the settlers during the operation. It was unbelievable that Israeli army who are accustomed to bulldozing Palestinian homes with families within at the dead of night did not even show any harshness towards the settlers who were resisting eviction with all their might.

The scenes of evacuating the settlers holed up in the synagogue at Neve Deklim were extraordinary. The young Israelis, many of them from the West Bank settlements and some who came all the way from the USA to oppose eviction were determined not to leave, but Israeli troops physically lifted them, of course with utmost restraint, carried them to the buses standing nearby for taking them to Israel. The Israeli women who always pray at a separate enclosures (same separate arrangement in the Western Wall too) were holed up there and most of them were lifted by women troops. One woman from the USA was heavily resisting the troops and apparently rebuking them. But there was no response from the women in uniform.

The most difficult part was the evacuation of those who barricaded themselves at the rooftop of Synagogue by razor wires. This was, however, no problem for the trained Israeli troops. But the interesting part was when troops mounted on ladder started cutting the razor wires with special scissors, coloured water, sand, construction rubbish, eggs, even toxic chemicals were hurled on the troops. These, however, could not stop the troops from doing their job. They went up and forced the settlers to come down. Ariel Sharon called them hooligans and also used the word criminals and asked them to leave the settlements as it was illegal to continue to stay in Gaza settlements. Earlier he called upon the settlers 'not to attack men and women in uniform'. He said, "I am responsible, attack me."

American Jews who came to help their friends and relatives in their fight to stay in the settlement, were most vocal and put up tough fight. Some were really unruly and rebuking the troops but there was not a word from the latter. One settler set himself alight but was later taken to hospital. One settler, while being lifted and carried away physically was praying -- 'Father above, look what they are doing to us'.

The evacuation work from four small West Bank settlements was relatively easier though there was physical resistance there too. The same process of barricading in the Synagogue was also adopted, but they were removed by the Israeli forces and all four settlements were cleared up by the due date.

Thereafter, Israeli heavy bulldozers were in operation to bulldoze the houses, but this time and certainly for the first time, these were empty Israeli houses and not Palestinian ones which they used to bulldoze earlier by the same powerful machines with men, women and children in them. The scenes are worth remembering as these operations were historic ones, never seen before and nobody knows whether would ever be repeated by the Israeli authority. But it is also a fact that without such repeat actions no peace can come to this part of the world. Therefore, the US and the UK should promote those who would be inclined to go for further withdrawals so that the Palestinians can have a contiguous land for the purpose of establishing the Palestinian state (detailed Peace Plan was suggested in my last comment)

Ariel Sharon is reportedly scheduled to go to Washington next week to meet and report his compliance to President Bush. One expects President Bush to ask Prime Minister Sharon to continue the evacuation of further settlements before committing a handsome gift of some three billion dollars to Israel. As Ariel Sharon has one-track mind, may be it is he and not Benjamin Netanyahu, who can do the job. But the bottom line is the US President has to be firm to have it done to live up to his promises of establishing the Palestinian state by 2005. He certainly needs to create a sovereign state to compensate for the state -- Iraq, a sovereign one which stands virtually destroyed.

Muslehuddin Ahmad, a former Secretary and Ambassador, is presently the Vice Chancellor of Presidency University.