Gaza Update (9) (Final?)

As of now, 16 of 21 Gaza settlements, including Neve Dekalim and Kfar Darom, have been completely evacuated. While I am not pleased with the disengagement, I can say that I am relieved that the violence was not as great as I had expected.

It looks like this story, or at least this phase of it, is drawing to a close. If there is much activity in the 5 remaining settlements, then I will post "Gaza Update (10)" tomorrow. If not, thanks to everyone who stopped by ConservaGlobe during my coverage (Wednesday was the busiest day in the two-week history of this blog). I hope that you will all continue to stop by when I go back to business as usual. I'd say that it's been fun covering this story, but it hasn't. In fact, it has been rather gut-wrenching to watch Israel drag its own people from their homes as a gift to the Palestinians.

I will end with this: Whether I like it or not, all of Gaza will soon be under Palestinian control. Israel has bowed to the wishes of the Palestinians, and now it is time for the Palestinians to start offering their own concessions. One of the big problems in the peace process is that the PLO, and now the Palestinian Authority, have always demanded that they be given everything they want without giving up anything, that is not a true negotiation. It is now incumbent on the Palestinians to stop making demands and start NEGOTIATING. The Israeli Government has shown that it is willing to take painful losses for the cause of peace, and I am going to be royally torqued off if the Palestinians do not return the favor.

I express my deepest sympathy to all of the settlers who lost their homes in this atrocity. While your homes and lives in Gaza can never be replaced, I pray that you will be able to find contentment and shalom (peace) in this next chapter of your lives.

Tags: Gaza , Israel, Disengagement