Why has the Israeli government decided on disengagement?
In order to break out of what was seen as a harmful stalemate, Israel decided to initiate moves not dependent on Palestinian cooperation. Voluntary disengagement was seen by Israel as an act that would lead to a better security, political, economic and demographic situation. What is the state of public opinion in Israel regarding disengagement? Supporters of disengagement stress that although they feel pain at this difficult decision and understand that there are risks involved, they believe that these are risks that must be taken in the pursuit of peace and to preserve the democratic nature of the nation. A June public opinion poll by the Harry Truman Institute of Hebrew University showed that although Israeli support for the disengagement plan has declined, 53% of Israelis support the disengagement plan and 39% oppose it. In the previous survey in March, 65% supported the plan. It is reported that 25% of the settlers sampled support the disengagement. Some opponents of the plan base
