The dismantling of Israel's settlements in the Gaza Strip is not part of an overall peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians nor is it some sort of land for peace accord between the two sides. It is simply a unilateral decision by Israel to end once and for all its military presence in this Palestinian enclave and to evict its 8,000 settlers from the territory.
Has Israel been promised anything in return for this withdrawal? No, but it does present an opportunity for peace, as long as all sides involved in the conflict really bend over backwards to attain this goal - encouraged, naturally, by the international community.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's decision to evict the settlers in the Gaza Strip - which Israel first occupied in 1967 - is to a certain extent a public relations coup for him. We can never underestimate the power and importance of symbolism. The images of Jewish settlers being dragged out of their homes and synagogues by Israeli troops on the orders of a supposedly hawkish right-wing Prime Minister sends out the message that Israel is ready to make sacrifices and to go the extra mile in the interest of peace, without being guaranteed anything in return. The pressure will now be on the Palestinians to do the same.
It is true that most of the Gaza Strip has been under the authority of the Palestinians for over a decade and that the Israeli army was present mainly to protect the 8,000 settlers in an area inhabited by 1.3 million Palestinians. It is also true that Israel has not indicated any desire to dismantle its settlements in the West Bank where almost half a million Israelis live, at least not at this stage, with the exception of four small settlements.
Nevertheless, the unilateral removal of the settlers in Gaza is still a historic move which has the potential to pave the way for the resumption of the peace process. For a start, Israel must allow the free access of goods and people into Gaza, which is surrounded by the Jewish state on which it depends for its livelihood.
Naturally, Israel has the right to take the necessary security measures for its own protection. However, the Gaza Strip, where many Palestinians live in squalid conditions, and which is a breeding ground for militancy and extremism, must be allowed by Israel and helped by the international community to develop its infrastructure and improve the living conditions of its inhabitants.
It is important that both the United States and the European Union take advantage of this Israeli withdrawal and help to bring about the resumption of the peace process - with the creation of a Palestinian state and security for Israel as the principal goals.
Opinion polls in Israel show that while most people feel sorry for the Gaza settlers, they also agree with the unilateral decision to dismantle the settlements. This means that Israeli public opinion is on the whole in favour of arriving at an overall peace agreement with the Palestinians.
The withdrawal from Gaza on its own, however, will not create peace in the Middle East. The real issues at the core of the conflict, namely the status of Jerusalem, the right of return of Palestinian refugees, the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the threat of Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, need to be tackled, and tackled now. In the light of the present international war against Al-Qaeda terrorism one cannot overemphasise the importance of an overall comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Palestinian leadership also has a very crucial role to play especially with regard to cracking down on Palestinian extremist groups which resort to terrorism against Israel. It is not always easy to control some of these groups - which simply do not want any type of peace accord with Israel and will do whatever they can to wreck the peace process and to work towards the destruction of the Jewish state - but the Palestinians must try and do more to stop terrorism within their ranks and to prove to Israel that they are serious about this.
It would be wrong of the Palestinians to think that Israel's withdrawal from Gaza was a reaction to terrorism. It was not. It was a gesture - an important one at that - which could lead to progress being made in the peace process.
However, in crude strategic terms, Israel has not given up anything. Israel can enter and occupy Gaza whenever it wants to. The dismantled settlements never represented any strategic value for Israel's security and evicting 8,000 settlers is a small price to pay if this is followed by similar gestures from the Palestinian side. Also misguided would be another eruption of a Palestinian intifada, which would be counter-productive.
On the other hand, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas must be helped by the international community and Israel to prove to his people that his peaceful methods of achieving an independent state are actually working. Equally wrong would be Israel's belief that a Palestinian state in Gaza is enough to satisfy the Palestinians' demand for statehood. Giving up Gaza and keeping all the West Bank settlements and Jerusalem will not provide Israel with security nor will it provide justice for the Palestinians.
Surely the Palestinians deserve more than just being squeezed into Gaza? The ultimate aim should be a Palestinian state comprising Gaza, East Jerusalem and a significant part of the West Bank and this is what the international community should be pressing for.