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Return to Gaza
(National Post-Canada) Gerald M. Steinberg - Hopes that Israel's unprecedented unilateral dismantling of all Israeli military bases, checkpoints, and even civilian houses in Gaza would reduce the violence and promote mutual accommodation were naive. Almost a year after the exit, attacks against Israelis continue to escalate, Palestinian society is in a state of advanced anarchy, and the security pledges from Egypt and Europe, brokered by the U.S., have proven worthless. Even before the murder and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Palestinian terrorists, the dozens of rockets raining down on houses and schools in Israel every week had already signaled the approaching end of this unique experiment in conflict reduction. Israelis also rediscovered the mistake of giving responsibility for their survival to outsiders. The security arrangements negotiated with Egypt and Europe, which accompanied the withdrawal, have all collapsed. An agreement signed with the Egyptians removed Israeli troops from the 13-kilometer border strip between Gaza and Egypt. In parallel, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brokered a separate security arrangement covering the Rafiah border crossing, giving a role to 70 EU "observers." As a result, the smuggling of weapons and terrorists has grown into a torrent.