Journalist Moriah Kor Reflects on Gush Katif Expulsion and Calls for Long-Term Change in Israeli Consciousness

Journalist and Katif Conference host Moriah Kor revisits her personal memories from the expulsion of Gush Katif and northern Samaria 21 years ago, emphasizing that protest alone was insufficient to change reality. Speaking at the Katif Conference, Kor recalled living in the West Bank settlement of Kfar Maimon as a young mother of three, describing the surreal experience of waking up surrounded by police horsemen during the evacuation. She noted that at the time, her main concern was the safety of her children rather than political debates.

Kor reflected on the slogans she heard then, such as "It was, it will not be," questioning why expulsions had happened before and could happen again. Over time, she concluded that the real struggle must extend beyond street protests to influence Israeli society’s broader consciousness, including economics, media, public diplomacy, and the judiciary. She argued that protests invisible to the wider public lack impact.

While acknowledging significant changes in the media landscape since the disengagement, Kor stressed that the crucial question is whether politics and public awareness have evolved. She compared today’s atmosphere to the pre-Six Day War era, when a collective national consciousness united political leaders, soldiers, and civilians alike, attributing this to education and cultural factors.

Looking ahead to the upcoming elections, Kor urged a long-term perspective, focusing on generational shifts rather than immediate political outcomes. She described a "revolution" in Jewish identity sparked by recent events, predicting that true change will emerge over decades as younger generations grow up with these narratives. "The victorious generation is not the one fighting now but the one raised on these stories," she said, underscoring that societal transformation takes time to mature.