Yamit - Definition and Overview

Yamit was an Israeli settlement in the Sinai Peninsula established during Israel's occupation of the peninsula from the end of the 1967 Six Day War until that part of the Sinai was handed over to Egypt in 1982 as part of the terms of the Egypt–Israel peace treaty.

Some Israelis settled in an unpopulated location and built a new town. They had good relations with the Bedouin residents of the Sinai.

The agreement between Israel and Egypt stipulated that Egypt would pay $80 million for the houses and infrastructure of Yamit. However, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (not Ariel Sharon as often thought) decided at the last minute to destroy the settlement instead. According to the Israeli ambassador to Egypt at the time, Moshe Sasson, Begin feared that the Israeli settlers would return to their homes surreptitiously and a disastrous clash between them and the Egyptians might eventuate. The decision to raze the settlement caused substantial ill-will towards Israel amongst the Egyptian public.