The Political and Social Ramifications of Evacuating Settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip

With political leaders speaking openly about and in favor of unilateral withdrawal from Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, journalist and IDI researcher Yair Sheleg's position paper "The Political and Social Ramification of Evacuating Settlements" is ever so timely.  Sheleg does not go into the question of "right or wrong," but rather he discusses the political and social consequences of such an act. 

The report outlines a number of potential "danger zones," including a small group of extremists who may violently resist "evacuation" and the younger generation carrying out non-violent acts of civil disobedience.  It also includes recommendations on how to carry out the evacuation, including enlisting settlement leadership to prepare for the evacuation once the final decision has been made and relocating as many settlers as possible to settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip that are not slated for evacuation.

Interviewed for this paper were settlers; security experts; mental health and behavioral science experts; politicians; and history, geography and political science academics.  The interviewees represented different parts of the political spectrum.  Also taken into account in the writing of this paper were the political and psychological ramifications of evacuating the settlements in the Sinai Peninsula in 1982. Included in this edition are the proceedings from a discussion held at the Israel Democracy Institute, October 2003, following the publication of the original document.