Israels parliament approves Gaza withdrawal plan to uproot Jewish settlements

Israel’s parliament approved a plan on Feb. 16, 2005, to evacuate all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four small communities in northern Samaria, with a 59-40 vote. Four days later, the cabinet endorsed the measure 17-5, setting the stage for the removal of some 8,000 Jews from their homes, potentially by force, during the summer of that year.
The disengagement plan, as it became known, marked the first time the Jewish state, backed by a parliamentary majority, voluntarily relinquished claim to part of the historic land of Israel by physically uprooting Jewish communities. The decision has sparked one of the most severe domestic crises in Israeli history, with deep divisions emerging over the symbolic and practical implications of the withdrawal.
For religious Zionists, the plan poses a particular challenge, as many view the settlement of the biblical land of Israel as a central tenet of their faith. The movement has been deeply intertwined with the settlement enterprise, and the prospect of disengagement has proven difficult for many to accept .
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