Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Israel’s 2005 unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip on Sunday, telling his cabinet he “will not repeat this mistake and create more evacuees.” Army Radio quoted Netanyahu as saying the pullout “brought us neither peace, nor security. The territory has turned into a base controlled by Hamas. We are not going to make the same mistake again.”
In September 2005, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon unilaterally evacuated all Israeli troops and 9,000 Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip. While the move brought international praise, it received mix reactions in Israel. A week before its implementation, then Finance Minister Netanyahu resigned in protest arguing Hamas would turn Gaza into a “Hamastan.”
The 2007 Hamas takeover of Gaza confirmed Netanyahu’s fears, leading him to label the unilateral withdrawal a “mistake.” “What is done cannot be undone,” he added. “We want a bilateral agreement, which will include [Palestinian] recognition of the State of Israel and a sustainable and enforceable security arrangement.”
“Should we achieve a turn toward peace with the more moderate partners, we will insist on the recognition of the State of Israel and the demilitarization of the future Palestinian state.”
