Yamit
Encyclopedia
Yamit was an Israeli settlement
in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula
with a population of about 2,500 people .The settlement was established during Israel's occupation of the peninsula from the end of the 1967 Six-Day War
, until that part of the Sinai was handed over to Egypt
in 1982 as part of the terms of the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
.
, Yamit was envisioned as a large city and seaport. Its location served to create an Israeli-populated buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai peninsula. Despite efforts to promote Yamit's newly-built, relatively affordable housing, the settlement failed to attract enough residents to make it a seaport. Upon the signing of the peace treaty with Egypt, it became clear to residents that Yamit's days were numbered, and most accepted compensation and evacuated within two years. A minority of residents who chose to stay were joined by nationalist supporters, who moved in to boost their numbers.
The evacuation of Yamit was the part of final stage of Israeli evacuation from Sinai. It was carried out in the face of powerful domestic opposition in Israel. Moshe Arens
(Likud), the head of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and professor Yuval Ne'eman
, the leader of rigt-wing Tehiya
party, led that opposition. They wanted to stop the evacuation and revoke peace treaty with Egypt and argued, that once Egypt will have all of Sinai in it's hand, it will cancel peace treaty with Israel and rejoin the rest of Arab world.
Yamit was evacuated on April 23, 1982, amid resistance by some Yamit settlers. Some residents barricaded themselves on the rooftops before being dragged into buses by Israeli soldiers. Political extremists from rest of the country infiltrated Yamit to demonstrate their solidarity and sabotage the withdrawal . Among the more extreme examples of resistance were the disciples of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who vowed to take their own lives rather than surrender. After the personal intervention of Kahane, they agreed to leave.
The initial agreement between Israel and Egypt stipulated that Egypt would pay $80 million for the houses and infrastructure of Yamit. However, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin
(not Ariel Sharon
as often thought) decided at the last minute to destroy the settlement instead, following Egyptian refusals to comply. According to the Israeli ambassador to Egypt at the time, Moshe Sasson, Begin feared that the Israeli settlers would return to their homes surreptitiously and a disastrous clash between them and the Egyptians might occur. One suggestion was that Sharon deliberately made the whole process more traumatic then it needed to be, so that the Israeli public would refuse the dismantling of other settlements even for the sake of peace . The decision to raze the settlement caused substantial ill will towards Israel among the Egyptian public.
) and left-wing Israelis; it is one of the many fractures which the Israeli society has to deal with today, especially following similar events seen in Israel's disengagement from Gaza
in 2005.
Since the demolition, the only structure that remains visible is a skeleton of the main synagogue, which contains no visible Jewish symbols. The eviction of Israeli civilians and military from Yamit and the Sinai peninsula is considered as a precedent for Israel's policy of land for peace
, exemplified in the Oslo Accords
, the Gaza Disengagement, and the now-shelved Realignment plan
.
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
with a population of about 2,500 people .The settlement was established during Israel's occupation of the peninsula from the end of the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, until that part of the Sinai was handed over to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1982 as part of the terms of the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
The 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. on the 26th of March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and were witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter.The peace...
.
Location
Located in the Rafah Plain region south of the Gaza StripGaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, Yamit was envisioned as a large city and seaport. Its location served to create an Israeli-populated buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai peninsula. Despite efforts to promote Yamit's newly-built, relatively affordable housing, the settlement failed to attract enough residents to make it a seaport. Upon the signing of the peace treaty with Egypt, it became clear to residents that Yamit's days were numbered, and most accepted compensation and evacuated within two years. A minority of residents who chose to stay were joined by nationalist supporters, who moved in to boost their numbers.
History
The decision to build the town was adopted by Israeli government in September 1973. Some 10.000 Bedouins that inhabited the area, were in January 1972 evicted from their lands and driven by Israeli army to the desert. Homes, mosques, schools and orchards were bulldozed.The evacuation of Yamit was the part of final stage of Israeli evacuation from Sinai. It was carried out in the face of powerful domestic opposition in Israel. Moshe Arens
Moshe Arens
Moshe Arens is an Israeli aeronautical engineer, researcher and former diplomat and politician. A member of the Knesset between 1973 and 1992 and again from 1999 until 2003, he served as Minister of Defense three times and once as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Arens has also served as the Israeli...
(Likud), the head of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and professor Yuval Ne'eman
Yuval Ne'eman
Yuval Ne'eman , was a renowned Israeli theoretical physicist, military scientist, and politician. He was a minister in the Israeli government in the 1980s and early 1990s.-Biography:...
, the leader of rigt-wing Tehiya
Tehiya
Tehiya , originally known as Banai , then Tehiya-Bnai , was a small right-wing political party in Israel that existed from 1979 until 1992...
party, led that opposition. They wanted to stop the evacuation and revoke peace treaty with Egypt and argued, that once Egypt will have all of Sinai in it's hand, it will cancel peace treaty with Israel and rejoin the rest of Arab world.
Yamit was evacuated on April 23, 1982, amid resistance by some Yamit settlers. Some residents barricaded themselves on the rooftops before being dragged into buses by Israeli soldiers. Political extremists from rest of the country infiltrated Yamit to demonstrate their solidarity and sabotage the withdrawal . Among the more extreme examples of resistance were the disciples of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who vowed to take their own lives rather than surrender. After the personal intervention of Kahane, they agreed to leave.
The initial agreement between Israel and Egypt stipulated that Egypt would pay $80 million for the houses and infrastructure of Yamit. However, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
(not Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
as often thought) decided at the last minute to destroy the settlement instead, following Egyptian refusals to comply. According to the Israeli ambassador to Egypt at the time, Moshe Sasson, Begin feared that the Israeli settlers would return to their homes surreptitiously and a disastrous clash between them and the Egyptians might occur. One suggestion was that Sharon deliberately made the whole process more traumatic then it needed to be, so that the Israeli public would refuse the dismantling of other settlements even for the sake of peace . The decision to raze the settlement caused substantial ill will towards Israel among the Egyptian public.
Precedent
In Israel, this precedent of Israelis forcibly evicted from their homes by Israeli forces is considered a socio-political landmark, causing and/or signifying the widening rift in Israel between the religious nationalist Jews (such as NRP supportersNational Religious Party
The National Religious Party ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992...
) and left-wing Israelis; it is one of the many fractures which the Israeli society has to deal with today, especially following similar events seen in Israel's disengagement from Gaza
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
in 2005.
Since the demolition, the only structure that remains visible is a skeleton of the main synagogue, which contains no visible Jewish symbols. The eviction of Israeli civilians and military from Yamit and the Sinai peninsula is considered as a precedent for Israel's policy of land for peace
Land for peace
Land for peace is an interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 242 which has formed the basis of subsequent Arab-Israeli peace making. The name Land for Peace is derived from the wording of the resolution's first operative paragraph which affirms that peace should include the application of...
, exemplified in the Oslo Accords
Oslo Accords
The Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
, the Gaza Disengagement, and the now-shelved Realignment plan
Realignment plan
The realignment plan was a plan by Israel to unilaterally disengage from the most of the West Bank and annex the rest, incorporating most Israeli settlements into Israel...
.