A plan first introduced by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the 2003 Herzliya Conference, with a detailed plan released in April 2004, and further revised in May 2004. It called for the unilateral withdrawal of all permanent Israeli military and civilian presence from the Gaza Strip. Additionally, four Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank were to be also evacuated, while Israel would continue to exercise security control over the area. The withdrawal was then approved in principle by the Government of Israel in June 2004, and by the Knesset in October 2004. In February 2005, the Knesset approved a law concerning compensation procedures for the evacuated population. In August 2005, following another Government of Israel resolution finalizing the withdrawal, the plan was implemented, with nearly 10,000 settlers relocated to Israel.