Editing History of Israel (section)

===2001–2006: Sharon===
{{Further|Second Intifada|Israeli West Bank barrier|Israel's unilateral disengagement plan}}
{{See also-text|[[Twenty-ninth government of Israel|Twenty-ninth]]|[[Thirtieth government of Israel|Thirtieth]] governments of Israel}}
[[File:Westbank barrier.png|thumb|upright|The [[Gaza–Israel barrier]] route built (red), under construction (pink) and proposed (white), {{as of|2011|6|lc=on}}]]
The failure of the peace process, increased Palestinian terror and occasional [[2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict|attacks]] by [[Hezbollah]] from Lebanon, led much of the Israeli public and political leadership to lose confidence in the Palestinian Authority as a peace partner. Most felt that many Palestinians viewed the peace treaty with Israel as a temporary measure only.<ref>{{cite book |last=Karsh |first=Efraim |title=Islamic Imperialism: A History |url=https://archive.org/details/islamicimperiali00kars|url-access=registration |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2006 |page=[https://archive.org/details/islamicimperiali00kars/page/181 181] |isbn=0300106033}}</ref> Many Israelis were thus anxious to disengage from the Palestinians. In response to a wave of [[List of Palestinian suicide attacks#2000s|suicide bomb attacks]], culminating in the [[Passover massacre]] (see [[List of Israeli civilian casualties in the Second Intifada]]), Israel launched [[Operation Defensive Shield]] in March 2002, and Sharon began the construction of a [[Gaza–Israel barrier|barrier]] around the West Bank. Around the same time, the Israeli town of [[Sderot]] and other Israeli communities near Gaza became subject to constant [[Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel|shelling]] and mortar bomb attacks from Gaza.

Thousands of Jews from Latin America began [[Aliyah from Latin America in the 2000s|arriving]] in Israel due to economic crises in their countries of origin. In January 2003 separate [[2003 Israeli legislative election|elections]] were held for the Knesset. Likud won the most seats (27). An anti-religion party, [[Shinui]], led by media pundit [[Tommy Lapid]], won 15 seats on a secularist platform, making it the third largest party (ahead of orthodox [[Shas]]). Internal fighting led to Shinui's demise at the next election. In 2004, the [[African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem|Black Hebrews]] were granted permanent residency in Israel. The group had begun migrating to Israel 25 years earlier from the United States, but had not been recognized as Jews by the state and hence not granted citizenship under Israel's [[Law of Return]]. They had settled in Israel without official status. From 2004 onwards, they received citizen's rights.

In 2005, all Jewish settlers were evacuated from [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] (some forcibly) and their homes demolished. [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan|Disengagement from the Gaza Strip]] was completed on 12 September 2005. Military disengagement from the northern West Bank was completed ten days later.

In 2005 Sharon left the Likud and formed a new party called [[Kadima]], which accepted that the peace process would lead to creation of a Palestinian state. He was joined by many leading figures from both Likud and Labour.

Hamas won the [[2006 Palestinian legislative election]], the first and only genuinely free Palestinian elections. Hamas' leaders rejected all agreements signed with Israel, refused to recognize Israel's right to exist, refused to abandon terror, and occasionally [[Hamas–UNRWA Holocaust dispute|claimed the Holocaust was a Jewish conspiracy]]. The withdrawal and Hamas victory left the status of Gaza unclear, as Israel asserted it was no longer an occupying power but continued to control air and sea access to Gaza although it did not exercise [[sovereignty]] on the ground. Egypt insisted that it was still occupied and refused to open border crossings with Gaza, although it was free to do so.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biu.ac.il/Besa/MSPS83.pdf |title=Is Gaza Occupied? Redefining the Legal Status of Gaza |last=Samson |first=Elizabeth |date=January 2010 |work=Mideast Security and Policy Studies |publisher=Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies |access-date=12 January 2013 |archive-date=7 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207013059/http://www.biu.ac.il/Besa/MSPS83.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2006 [[Ariel Sharon]] was incapacitated by a severe [[hemorrhagic stroke]] and [[Ehud Olmert]] became [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2003/3/Ehud+Olmert.htm |title=Ehud Olmert |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |access-date=5 December 2012 |archive-date=27 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127040124/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2003/3/Ehud+Olmert.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>