21 Years After Gaza Disengagement, Rabbi Warns Against Ignoring Early Threats

As Israel marks 21 years since the disengagement from Gush Katif and northern Samaria, Rabbi Eliezer Chaim Shenwald reflects on the critical lessons from the event. He emphasizes that threats, even if they seem unlikely, must never be ignored but addressed promptly to prevent their realization. The disengagement, initiated by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2004, involved uprooting Israeli settlements after years of conflict and was met with shock and denial by many settlers who initially doubted Sharon’s intentions.

Sharon’s 2003 Herzliya speech announcing the unilateral disengagement surprised the public, especially since it contradicted his previous pro-settlement stance and election promises. Despite opposition within his Likud party and public protests, including a human chain of about 150,000 people, the plan was approved by the Knesset in October 2004 and executed in August 2005. Many believed at the time that the threat could be stopped, but the disengagement proceeded, leading to long-term consequences including the rise of a terrorist state threatening Israel’s existence, rewarding terrorism, and eroding Israeli deterrence.

Rabbi Shenwald warns that current political developments ahead of upcoming elections echo past mistakes. He highlights concerns about the left-wing bloc’s security policies, particularly the Democratic Party and its leader, who have openly threatened the national-religious community and plan to shut down religious pre-military academies and settlements. The Democratic leader has also pledged to dismiss the Shin Bet chief, David Zini, due to his religious-nationalist background, and to close Channel 14, which represents a significant portion of public opinion.

Shenwald calls on the national-religious public to recognize these threats as serious and act decisively before the elections to prevent them from gaining power. He stresses the importance of demanding clear commitments from political leaders to block such policies, warning against complacency and denial that could lead to repeating the painful experience of the 2005 disengagement.