Ariel Sharon Gaza Quotations

I have given an order to plan for the evacuation of 17 settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Most of the conversation was about Gaza. What happens in Gaza is, to their mind, what will dictate the future of the peace process,

Most of the conversation focused on Gaza and they (the Americans) believe that events in Gaza will dictate the future of the peace process,

Whoever thinks that Gaza needs to be recaptured understands nothing, ... We do not need to be inside Gaza.

We know very well that the Gaza Strip has to be open to the outside world, but are not going to allow it to be transformed into a terrorist arsenal,

We attach vast importance to Egyptian activity in the Gaza Strip and along the border, but I don't intend to allow Egypt to become a mediator between Israelis and Palestinians,

We cannot hold onto Gaza forever, more than a million Palestinians live there...crowded in refugee camps, poverty and hotbeds of hatred with no hope on the horizon,

We have decided to suspend the offensive operations that we launched last week in response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel ,

Believe me, the pain I feel with this act is the full realization that we must do it, ... We cannot hold onto Gaza forever, more than a million Palestinians live there... crowded in refugee camps, poverty and hotbeds of hatred with no hope on the horizon.

Evacuating the Gaza Strip is a plan that will be carried out and all orders have been given to ensure that there will be no fire at the time of the evacuation, and I believe not after that either,

I spoke to the heads of the defense establishment and once again reiterated the order that there is no restriction on our operations to stop the attacks on the communities inside Gaza and along the border with Gaza. We don't intend in any way to allow this situation.

Gaza cannot be held on to forever... It is out of strength and not weakness that we are taking this step.

The handling of the problem of the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip is a very delicate and complicated one,

The disengagement has set out its way, ... The government decided today that, by the end of 2005, Israel intends to leave the Gaza Strip and four isolated settlements in Samaria.