After 38 years of occupation, Israel has officially finished pulling out of its settlements in Gaza. During the 1967 Middle East War, Israel took control of this densely-populated Palestinian area. Over the years, armed conflict in the form of terrorism from armed Palestinian factions like Hamas and reprisal attacks on the part of Israelis has worsened.

After a period of relative calm, the 2,000 Palestinian Intifada brought violence between Israelis and Palestinians to an all-time high. After alternating periods of violence and cease-fire, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made the controversial decision to pull out of the Gaza Strip.

Ariel Sharon's decision reflected the Israeli government's desire for peace with a free Palestine. To say the least, Sharon's decision was very difficult. His orders required the immediate destruction of all Jewish settlements, schools and cemeteries along with the forced evacuation of all Jews from Gaza. These extreme measures mean only one thing: Israel strongly desires peace with the Palestinian people.

In the eyes of the international community, the Israeli pull-out from Gaza was a very positive move towards peace. Now, the eyes of the whole world are on the Palestinian people and their president, Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas and the Palestinian authorities must keep the militant Palestinian factions under control if they want peace. On Tuesday and Wednesday, roughly 20,000 Palestinians poured into the Egyptian Sinai in celebration of their new freedom. Egyptian authorities looked the other way, allowing the Palestinians a two-day "holiday."

The Egyptians say that if all Palestinians and Egyptians do not return to their respective countries by the end of the week, they will be punished. Although the idea of a two-day "holiday" seemed harmless, it allowed some weapons and light arms to be smuggled into Gaza.

This does not bode well for Palestinian authorities, who are supposed to control militant groups, or for the Egyptians, who are supposed to control the borders. In the first week of the Israeli withdrawal, there may simply have been too much Palestinian excitement to allow for complete control of Gaza and its borders. Unfortunately, extremist groups like Hamas will always take advantage of situations like this to smuggle weapons. Once life returns back to normal, it will be the responsibility of the Palestinian authorities to crack down on terrorists and enforce the law. When that time comes, the Palestinians must do their part for peace.