In a not-very-veiled threat, the military wing of Hamas posted a statement on its website in August that included: “Any Zionist violation of the liberated territories after the withdrawal, be it a violation of the land, sea or air space, will be encountered by force. We reiterate that the presence of any Zionist soldier or settler in the liberated territories, crossings or border areas would mean fighting this presence with all available means” (Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades website, August 20). (Joel Hilliker, Israel's Bleeding Wound, November 2005.)This article Hilliker quoted appears to be offline now.
The article discusses the disengagement from Gaza of 2005 in which Israeli settlers and soldiers were ordered by the Sharon led government to withdraw from Gaza. PCG condemned the withdrawal viewing it as an attempt to make peace with the Palestinians.
However it is more accurate to describe it as a cost cutting exercise not a peace making exercise. The decision was made unilaterally without discussing it with the Palestinians. In a true attempt to make peace the Israeli government would have negotiated with the Palestinians first before withdrawal the soldiers and settlers.
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