ABSTRACT
This chapter provides parallels between Israel's unilateral disengagement from southern Lebanon in 2000 and Israel's unilateral construction of the separation barrier since 2002 in order to determine the feasibility and potential ramifications of the barrier project vis-a-vis Israel's future relations with the Palestinians. It outlines the lessons of the Israeli-Lebanese context to determine whether or not unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians will prove successful in the long run in terms of providing Israel with security, while promoting peace, stability and good governance in the Palestinian authority areas. Israel completed its unilateral disengagement from Lebanon on may 24, 2000 after occupying a security zone in southern Lebanon for fifteen years. The prospect of unilateral withdrawal sparked an ideologically charged debate throughout Israel that nonetheless exceeded the boundaries of conventional party politics across the Israeli political spectrum.
