Akademik

   The largest of a series of settlements on the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula that were established by Israel after the Six-Day War (1967). The readiness of the government of Menachem Begin to evacuate the city and all other Sinai settlements as part of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty evoked significant political opposition in Israel, especially among Gush Emunim and its offshoot, the Movement to Halt the Retreat at Sinai. These groups feared that the full evacuation of settlements would weaken Israel's ability to defend against future attack from Egypt; there was also a concern that it would set a dangerous precedent for future negotiations over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The plan was to prevent the evacuation of Yamit by concentrating 100,000 settlers there on 22 April 1982, the day the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was scheduled to complete the evacuation of the city. In the end, however, only a few thousand protesters took up positions at Yamit, and the evacuation was completed by unarmed soldiers and without serious opposition or injury. Once the evacuation was completed, all buildings at Yamit were leveled by IDF bulldozers.