Rabbi Getz kissing the flag of Yamit during a ceremony held at the Western Wall marking the first anniversary of the Yamit evacuation ; 1983. x
One of the major elements of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty signed in March 1979 was the full Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula, captured by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 and held during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 .
The Sinai withdrawal was phased over a number of years and the date of evacuation for Yamit was set for April 23, 1982. Residents were ordered beforehand to leave in a peaceful manner and most of the original settlers did in fact choose to move rather than clash with the Israel Defense Forces.
The Yamit evacuation, however, was met with resistance by right-wing Jews, mostly followers of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who threatened to fight back against the IDF and even to blow themselves up if soldiers entered their bunkers.
To read more about the Yamit evacuation, please click here!
