2010 Articles

Israeli Unilateralism: A Comparative Approach

Natanzon, Idon

"In order to further understand the decision-making process that leads to unilateral withdrawal, this paper will focus on two recent Israeli examples: the military pullout from southern Lebanon in 2000 and the disengagement of settlers and military posts from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank in 2005. An analysis and comparison of Israeli leadership and discourse in the two episodes will show the factors and common characteristics behind the repeated Israeli decision to unilaterally withdraw as a means to lessen conflict. It is important to note that this analysis will be largely restricted to the internal Israeli debate regarding its own policies, and that only Israeli factors will be considered, insofar as they relate to the specific concerns within decision-making processes. Further work must be conducted in order to examine the concurrent debate that unquestionably arose within Lebanese and Palestinian societies."--from page 2