19 years ago today, on August 15, 2005, Israeli forces began implementing the Disengagement Plan formulated by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The date was changed so as not to coincide with Tisha B’Av and the preceding periods of mourning.
Israeli residents held a series of protests against the process, some of which turned violent. In many of the towns that were emptied, residents barricaded themselves inside buildings and fought the security forces with improvised weapons and projectiles. Over the weeks that followed, thousands of soldiers and police officers would make their way through the Gaza Strip, assisting Israelis who wished to leave willingly and removing those who resisted by force. Four towns in northern Samaria were emptied in a similar fashion. By September 22, 2005, Israel’s withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip to the 1967 “Green Line,” and the eviction of the four communities in Samaria, were completed.
In a lengthy write-up in the Times of Israel last December, Return to Gush Katif: A determined movement emerges to resettle Israelis in Gaza, Shlomo Elyashiv Fendel, son of Rabbi Dovid Fendel was among many community members interviewed. He accurately summed up why there needs to be a return to Gush Katif: “Resettling there will be a deterrent to future terrorist attacks and will strengthen Israel’s security. Eliminating Hamas is the beginning, but what will give us long-lasting security is settlements.”