Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s controversial withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 opens the door for Hamas to seize control, while efforts to broker peace are thrown into turmoil.
In 2003, Israel’s prime minister, Ariel Sharon, stunned the world with his decision to pull Israeli settlers and armed forces out of the Gaza Strip, which took place in 2005. It sparked massive turmoil, starting with the withdrawal itself, before Hamas won a shock election victory and went on to seize total control of Gaza.
Leaders and their top advisers from all sides of the conflict describe the diplomatic wranglings that led up to the withdrawal and how they grappled to deal with the fallout.
Top interviewees include US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, Sharon’s closest adviser, Dov Weissglas, and senior Palestinian officials, including Rafiq Husseini, the chief of staff to President Abbas. There are also rare interviews with Hamas’s leaders Khaled Meshal and Ismail Haniyeh, the latter of whom was killed just a month after the interview was filmed.
