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Starting next week, Israel will pull out of the Gaza Strip and a small part of the West Bank, removing 9,000 Jewish settlers from their homes. It will mark the first time Israel dismantles Jewish settlements in either the West Bank or Gaza, both captured in the 1967 Mideast War and claimed by the Palestinians for a future state. Here are answers to some key questions involving the withdrawal:
Why is Israel doing it?
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says that Israel will not keep these areas under a future peace deal and that the withdrawal will reduce friction with the Palestinians and improve Israel's security. Sharon believes the withdrawal will enable Israel to consolidate control over large settlement blocs in the West Bank, where the vast majority of the 240,000 Jewish settlers live.What are the logistics?
Israel has given about 8,500 Jewish settlers in Gaza and about 500 in the West Bank until the end of Tuesday to leave their homes voluntarily. Starting Wednesday, some 55,000 troops will forcibly evacuate remaining residents. Officials expect more than half of the settlers to leave voluntarily, with most of the others resisting without violence.Q. What precautions are being taken? The army is preparing for possible violence by a small number of extremists or Palestinian militants. The army has threatened to retaliate with a ground incursion. The Palestinians say they will deploy thousands of troops to ensure calm.
How long will the withdrawal take?
Military officials expect the Gaza withdrawal to last about three weeks, with another week needed for the West Bank pullback. The army says it will need another two to three weeks to demolish abandoned settler homes. The Palestinians support the demolitions, saying the one-story cottages are unsuitable for large Palestinian families and take up too much space in overcrowded Gaza.Are settlers compensated?
Yes. The government is compensating settlers through a complex formula that takes into account such issues as home size, number of family members and amount of time residing in the settlement. Compensation usually amounts to $200,000 to $300,000 per family. Settlers who stay in Gaza after the Tuesday deadline are supposed to lose up to a third of their compensation, though it's not clear if that will stand up in court.Is this is a peace plan?
No. Sharon proposed the withdrawal in early 2004, when fighting with the Palestinians was raging and his nemesis, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, was still alive. Although the fighting has slowed and relations have improved with Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas, Sharon says it is still too early to resume peace talks. He says a smooth withdrawal and a Palestinian crackdown on militants could lead to a resumption of peace talks.What do the Palestinians want?
The Palestinians have welcomed the withdrawal but say it must be the first step toward carrying out the "road map," an internationally backed peace plan calling for an independent Palestinian state. The Palestinians claim Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and say all West Bank settlements should also be dismantled.What is the U.S. role?
Washington, the main backer of the road map, has welcomed the pullout. It says the withdrawal must be the first step toward resuming peace talks. The U.S. encouraged Israel to work closely with the Palestinians ahead of the pullout, sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region three times this year and appointing an army general as a special security coordinator.
What's next for Gaza?
Israel expects to complete the pullout by October, leaving the Palestinians with a formidable task. About 1.3-million Palestinians live in Gaza, an area one-tenth the size of Rhode Island. Most live in extreme poverty. The Palestinians must build new housing and try to provide jobs in an area with 60 percent unemployment.