It\'s been 20 years since the evacuation of the Israeli city of Yamit and 16 other communities in the Sinai - and a ceremony was held this morning to mark the occasion. It happened at seaside on the Egyptian-Israeli border near Rafiach, by virtue of a special permit issued by the IDF commander of the Southern Region. Avi Farhan, a former resident of Yamit and leader of the \"Stop the Withdrawal From Sinai\" movement at the time, initiated the ceremony, which included raising the flag that waved in the town at the time of the evacuation, as well as an observation of the remains of the town, bulldozed by the IDF twenty years ago under the terms of the peace treaty with Egypt.
Until the 1978 peace treaty with Egypt, the Sinai was home to 5,300 Jews. The towns and communities were evacuated and bulldozed when the area was turned over to Egypt as part of the peace treaty negotiated by the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin. That treaty was the first to mention the \"legitimate rights\" of Palestinians.
Until the 1978 peace treaty with Egypt, the Sinai was home to 5,300 Jews. The towns and communities were evacuated and bulldozed when the area was turned over to Egypt as part of the peace treaty negotiated by the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin. That treaty was the first to mention the \"legitimate rights\" of Palestinians.