20 Years After Gaza Pullout, Israel Finds Itself Deeply Entangled Again

On the 20th anniversary of its historic withdrawal from Gaza, Israel finds itself back at the centre of a war in the territory — one that has lasted nearly two years and shows no signs of ending even to this date. What was once hailed as a bold disengagement in 2005 now appears to be a full circle moment, with Israeli forces once again operating across much of the enclave.

Israel dismantled 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and pulled out thousands of soldiers under then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, aiming to create momentum for peace, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Friday. However, reports suggest that the very move apparently led to divides within the Israeli society, and set in motion changes that are still shaping the region today.

Hamas gains, Israel’s far-right rises

Analysts say the images of settlers being removed helped galvanise Israel’s far-right and settler movements. “Disengagement will never happen again, this is a price we are paying as a society, and a price we are paying politically,” a senior researcher at the Misgav Institute told AP.

That anger, experts say, partly explains the political ascent of some key Israeli hardline figures including Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Earlier this week, Smotrich announced plans to expand settlements east of Jerusalem under the E1 zone, which he insisted would “bury” the two-state solution.

Palestinians, meanwhile, saw little real liberation. Although some initially welcomed the withdrawal, armed group Hamas won the elections in 2006 and subsequently ousted the Palestinian Authority (PA) from Gaza. Israel and Egypt soon imposed a blockade, and even today, Israel maintains control over Gaza’s borders, airspace and much of its movement, as reported by The Associated Press.

‘An achievement of the resistance’

Observers say Israel’s unilateral exit without negotiating with the Palestinian Authority boosted the militant group’s credibility. “This contributed to Hamas’s win in the elections in 2006,” the researcher further told the US-based news agency, while adding, “They saw it as an achievement of the resistance.”

Analysts say the failure to coordinate disengagement with Palestinian leadership left a lasting wound in Israeli society, and made any future withdrawals “politically toxic”.

A settler’s regret and longing

Recalling the day Israeli soldiers came to evacuate her community, Anita Tucker, one of Gaza’s first settlers, told AP that it was “obviously a mistake to leave.” “The lives of the Arabs became much worse, and the lives of the Jews became much, much worse, with rockets and October 7.”

Expressing hopes to rebuild, the 79-year-old further told the publication, “We are willing to build there again.”

Many Palestinians fear Israel will never leave

Palestinians have long viewed Gaza as an “open-air prison,” even after disengagement, the report said, adding that many of them now believe Israel is returning to direct occupation.

Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network, told the news agency that he expects Israel to keep military control over much of Gaza through “buffer zones”.

Some others fear that “Israel is reoccupying the Gaza Strip”.

What went wrong after withdrawal?

Dan Harel, the former general who oversaw the 2005 pullout, said the decision to leave was right, but the follow-up was a failure.

“There wasn’t a future. People paint it as how wonderful it was there, but it wasn’t wonderful,” he said, per AP.

Harel further criticised Israel’s policy of containment after the withdrawal, which he believes allowed Hamas to evolve unchecked into a sophisticated military force.

“We had such a blind spot with Hamas,” Harel reportedly said, adding that the main issue is “what we did in the 18 years in between.”

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