In an interview at Arutz Sheva’s broadcast booth during the Katif Conference, marking 20 years since the Disengagement and expulsion from Gush Katif and northern Samaria, Minister and former Ambassador Gilad Erdan—one of the leading “rebels” against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan—reflected on the lessons learned from the expulsion, the current war, and his political future.
Erdan admitted that in hindsight the efforts by himself and fellow party members failed. The Likud was unable to stop the expulsion of Gush Katif residents, resulting in both security and ideological damage to the State of Israel. Nevertheless, Erdan emphasized that on a personal level, he acted with moral and ethical integrity, doing everything he could to halt the process.
Regarding the possibility of renewing Jewish settlement in Gaza, Erdan said he would welcome such a development both as a personal closure and as a powerful message to the world. In his view, reclaiming territory is part of the deterrence required to demonstrate that those who massacre Jews will ultimately face catastrophe.