On Sunday, the Israeli government approved the evacuation of Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria.
Seventeen ministers voted in favor of the motion, known as the ‘disengagement plan,’ while five voted against it. Israeli Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made a last-minute decision to join the opponents, frustrated that the withdrawal will not be implemented with a national referendum.
The plan includes the evacuation of some 9,000 Jews from communities in post-1967 Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who initiated the plan, said it has garnered wide support from the international community. “Israel is receiving a supportive and perhaps unprecedented attitude from states of the international community,” he said, adding that relations with Egypt and Jordan have also improved considerably.
Jordan returned its ambassador, Dr. Ma’rouf Al-Bakhit, to Tel Aviv on Wednesday after an absence of four years. Egypt is also expected to return its ambassador to Israel shortly.
The evacuation of settlements and withdrawal from Gaza is slated to begin in five months. The vote was the penultimate obstacle for Sharon before carrying out his plan, since the evacuation of every bloc of settlements will require a separate governmental approval.
The cabinet also discussed the new route of the security barrier around the West Bank in accordance with orders from Israel’s High Court of Justice. The new route aims to bring the barrier closer to the Green Line than originally intended.