An Israeli soldier stops cars trying to cross over to Jerusalem at a checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, Monday, March 12, 2001. The Gaza Strip is once again ruled by Palestinian security forces. Israel had taken over the land early on Tuesday in retaliation for Monday's shelling of Sderot, a town inside Israel.
Most people suspect that Israel pulled out because the United States criticized the attack.
Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel, has denied the influence of the United States on Israel's actions. He said that the Army had planned to leave, but was delayed for operational reasons. Before returning the land to the Palestinian security forces, Israel bulldozed the six police positions they had captured. Inside Israel, a fierce debate rages over whether the Army did the right thing. Palestinians began to shell , or fire at, an Israeli Army base in Gaza shortly after the land was returned, and this does not make Israelis feel safe.