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Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0822/p06s01-wome.html
As Gaza Empties, Israel Looks Ahead
(Christian Science Monitor) Ilene R. Prusher - Even though the withdrawal is moving ahead of plan, Israel says it does not want the world in general - and the Palestinians in particular - to get the wrong impression. "We've finished making unilateral, painful concessions," says Ranaan Gissin, a spokesman for Prime Minister Sharon. "After the euphoria dies, the Palestinians will have to get down to taking real steps to show that they can stop terrorist activity....If anyone has illusions that this means they can force Israel into making further concessions under pressure of violence, they're in for a big surprise," Gissin said. By no longer having citizens in Gaza, Israel decreases soldiers' and settlers' vulnerability to attacks by Palestinians. But if Israel is attacked from Gaza in the future, it will likely respond with more firepower than before, because it will no longer be facing the complication of fighting people living under Israel's military rule. Palestinian militants, in turn, will find it harder to argue that they are simply struggling against an occupation.