The chain of causation, as with so much else in Israel, leads back to Ariel Sharon. He conceived of withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 as above all a tactic which would allow him to postpone wider negotiations on the future of the West Bank and weaken the Palestine Liberation Organisation. He would garner some peace laurels while inducing the Americans to give commitments on what Israel could keep when and if West Bank negotiations began again. It was a skilful and even a brave piece of political manoeuvring both domestically and internationally; but it was also a cynical and ultimately a counter-productive one.
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