2006 Photo Contest, General News, 1st prize
Photographer

Uriel Sinai

Getty Images

18 August, 2005

Die-hard settlers wait on for Israeli soldiers to carry them off the roof of a synagogue in Kfar Darom, where they had positioned themselves in resistance to evacuation. In August, Israel brought an end to its 38-year occupation of the Gaza Strip. Under Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, some 8,500 settlers were withdrawn from land seized during the 1967 Six-Day War. About half the settlers left voluntarily. Those who remained were given until midnight on August 16 before facing forcible eviction by the Israeli army. The hard-liners were joined by supporters from Israel and the West Bank.

About the photographer

Uriel Sinai

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