Gaza disengagement is a sacrifice

The front page of The Augusta Chronicle on Aug. 8 noted the resignation of Israeli Finance Minister and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the issue of the upcoming disengagement. The decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank is by far the state's most important decision in 57 years.

Israel will evacuate 9,000 civilians and all military installations from the Gaza Strip and 440 square miles in the northern West Bank, which include four civilian communities. This painful decision by the government reflects the realities of an unrelenting conflict, and the desire of Israel's leaders to provide its citizens with security and stability.

Twenty-one settlements will be evacuated in less than a week. A Jewish presence in Gaza dates back to 150 B.C.E. The first Jewish sovereignty is recorded in Judges 1:18 with the story of Samson. The first Arab sovereignty occurred in 634 C.E. when Arab armies drove out what was then the largest area of Jewish settlement in Israel. In 1946, with the encouragement of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, Kfar Darom was established. It was evacuated in 1948 following an Egyptian siege, then resettled in 1970.

DISENGAGEMENT WILL remove 1,700 families from their homes, most against their will. Many families have lived in that region for three generations. In addition to the Gaza settlements, four northern West Bank communities also will be evacuated. The disengagement will cost the Israeli people $1.7 billion. This represents a cost of approximately $250 per each Israeli citizen.

Produce and flowers exported by Israeli farmers in Gaza is a $120 million-per-year business. They produce 60 percent of the cherry tomatoes, 60 percent of the herbs and 70 percent of all organic produce for the entire country. The move out of Gaza will decimate this economic resource.

Five thousand school-age children will have to move away from family homes and childhood friends. All of their schools will be closed. In the Gaza Strip, this includes 36 kindergartens, seven elementary schools, three high schools and 42 day-care centers. In addition, 38 synagogues will be dismantled. Jewish law requires that the sanctity of a synagogue be preserved once it has been dedicated. Any change from its use from a place of study and prayer is considered sacrilegious and an enormous sacrifice.

GIVEN THE IMPACT on the citizens of Israel and the Israeli economy, why would the government of Israel take such a step?

Israel hopes that putting security first will bring peace. During the 1990s, when Israel negotiated with the Palestinians, the assumption was that peace would bring security. Palestinian suicide bombings, beginning in the mid-1990s, followed by the collapse of the peace process and a wave of terrorism over the past five years, have persuaded Israel to reverse the formula.

First waiting for Yasser Arafat to end the conflict, and now waiting for Mahmoud Abbas to reorganize his security forces so that they will be capable of preventing attacks against Israelis, has proven costly to both Palestinians and Israelis. Disengagement, which is not dependent on what is happening on the Palestinian side, should significantly reduce the level of violence, thereby resulting in greater security for Israel's citizens and an opening to advance the peace process.

The disengagement decision also reflects a commitment to strengthen Israel's Jewish and democratic identity. Israeli leadership understands the demographic reality of the Jewish/ Palestinian Arab population between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. By taking this step in the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank, Israel is beginning a process that will separate the two peoples and facilitate, hopefully with a Palestinian leadership committed to peace, a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict.

Disengagement addresses crucial Israeli interests, and provides the Palestinians a historic opportunity to build the foundations of their own state. President Mahmoud Abbas has made some important initial steps to reform Palestinian security services and build transparent institutions that will serve the Palestinian people. His vision for a peaceful, democratic Palestinian society will only be fulfilled with courage, strength and determination.

Six out of eight political parties in Gaza are, or associated with, terrorist organizations as defined by the U.S. State Department. Terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad not only refuse to disarm voluntarily, but have also broken the so-called "calm" by continuing to carry out attacks against Israel.

ABBAS, WHO HAS pledged that there can be only "one law and one gun" in Palestinian territory, must take serious and concrete action against this lawlessness. Disengagement is a chance for the Palestinians to show in those areas vacated by Israel that they are capable of building a responsible state that is ready to live in peace with Israel.

The weeks ahead will be difficult ones for Israel and for all its supporters. Even those in Israel who fully support the disengagement recognize the painful sacrifice of those who are being forced to leave their homes. However, it is the hope that this bold and courageous step should enhance Israel's security, address the demographic dilemma and, at the same time, offer a pathway to the Palestinians to create a positive national life of their own alongside the state of Israel.

(Editor's note: The writer is executive director of the Augusta Jewish Federation and the Augusta Jewish Community Center.)