Gaza Strip
In 2005, Israel pulled out all its remaining forces of Gaza Strip and dismantled its settlements. Nevertheless the Gaza Strip is still considered to be occupied by Israel according to the international community. Israel has denied that it occupies the Gaza Strip, but the borders of the Gaza Strip, including coast and airspace are completely controlled by Israel. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 stated in 2007:
"Israel remains an occupying Power in respect of Gaza. Arguments that Israel ceased its occupation of Gaza in 2005 following the evacuation of its settlements and the withdrawal of its troops take no account of the fact that Israel retains effective control over Gaza by means of its control over Gaza’s external borders, airspace, territorial waters, population registry, tax revenues and governmental functions. The effectiveness of this control is emphasized by regular military incursions and rocket attacks."
Read more about this topic: Palestinian Territories
Famous quotes containing the word strip:
“Perfect present has no existence in our consciousness. As I said years ago in Erewhon, it lives but upon the sufferance of past and future. We are like men standing on a narrow footbridge over a railway. We can watch the future hurrying like an express train towards us, and then hurrying into the past, but in the narrow strip of present we cannot see it. Strange that that which is the most essential to our consciousness should be exactly that of which we are least definitely conscious.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)