Shirat HaYam

Song of the Sea ) was an Israeli settlement established in 2001 on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea west of Neve Dekalim in the Gush Katif settlement bloc. About fifteen families lived in the either trailers or abandoned houses that were reportedly Egyptian Army officer's barracks from the period when Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip . On 14 August 2005, immediately prior to the execution of the disengagement plan evacuation, Aryeh Yitzhaki , an Israeli military historian residing in Shirat HaYam, declared independence. He followed through with his claim by sending an appeal for recognition to the United Nations and the Red Cross . He called himself The Temporary Chairman "until the election of the 2,500 citizens" in his new country, " The Independent Jewish Authority in Gaza Beach ." Four days later, when the Israeli Army and Israeli Police came to evacuate Shirat Hayam, he defended this self-proclaimed country alone with an M-16 after ascending the roof of his home. It was not widely publicized that the entire Israeli Army nationwide was immediately put on a high state of alert in apprehension that Yitzhaki's threats would be followed similarly elsewhere. The event ended peacefully after a few hours. While the standard policy adapted by the Israeli government was to destroy all residential property prior to the retreat from Gush Katif, the cement structures in this settlement were not touched. The evicted residents of the village chose to remain together as a group and move to Maskiot in the Jordan River valley to build an agricultural settlement. Since the Maskiot site, a former military base, was not ready for settlement, the group moved to adjacent Hemdat .¹