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17-years after Israel ceded Gaza for prospective Palestinian State, I.D.F. ex-Surgeon General Arye Eldad takes stock, revises outlook

Israelis take cover in bomb shelter fearing Palestinian rocket launched
from Gaza at Kiryat Malachi Nov 15, '12 (Uriel Sinai, Getty Images)

This week in 2005, Israel withdrew all Jewish life (and its military defenders) from Gaza to enable Palestinian Muslims to demonstrate the peace and safety they would offer Israelis from a prospective Palestinian state. 

But 17-years later, how much safer has that left Jews living north of the now, closer, southern border with Gaza?

Israel evacuated 21 communities in Gush Katif, Gaza (and 4 in Northern Samaria) to evidence Palestinian intentions

Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad launches 100's of rockets
at Israel over a week. 7 Aug '22 (Reuters:Mohammed Salem)

What peace for Jews have they demonstrated in all this time?

Since Israel's withdrawal of 8,000 Jewish civilians from Gush Katif, Gaza, Palestinians in Gaza have launched (
among other acts of terrorist violence) infiltrations of Israeli territory in the form of rockets, mortars, and wildfire balloons in the following numbers:
 
In August 2005, Israel publicly displayed to the world that its most recent 38-year presence in Gaza had come to an end. Natan Sharansky was the Diaspora Affairs and Jerusalem minister in Sharon’s government at the time, although on May 2, 2005, he resigned from the cabinet because of his fundamental disagreement with the viability of the Disengagement Plan. He has publicly shared the content of his resignation letter, the consequence of his disgust at the evacuation. Sharansky wrote that the Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan, “is a tragic mistake that will exacerbate the conflict with the Palestinians, increase terrorism, and dim the prospects of forging a genuine peace. The guiding principle behind the Disengagement Plan is based on the illusion that by leaving Gaza, we will leave the problems of Gaza behind us.”
- (Source: Jewish Home LA)

Former IDF Surgeon General, Dr. Aryeh Eldad today hosts a radio show and authors books

Former Knesset member Prof. Aryeh Eldad, M.D. 72, was once the Israel Defense Forces’ chief medical officer and later an Member of Knesset of the National Union Party and Otzma LeYisrael for 10 years. He is the son of author and columnist Israel Eldad (Scheib), a leader of the Lehi pre-state underground who is known as one of the greatest ideologists of the right.

Dr. Eldad was the only member of parliament to call for non-violent civil disobedience as a tactic in the struggle against the government. Eldad even walked the few hundred kilometres between the now-evacuated community of Sa-Nur (in the northern West Bank) to Neve Dekalim (south Gaza Strip), in order to attract attention to the opposition of the Withdrawal plan. We recorded this phone interview with him from Israel in May. 

 

Ariel Sharon’s political dreams were far from reality. The withdrawal from Gaza did not bring peace with the Palestinians, nor support from world powers. It did not bring harmony to the region of any kind. Israel is not, and has never been a stronger nation as a result of the evacuation. Moreover, the event permanently shamed Sharon’s otherwise meaningful political career, which was the opposite of what Sharon anticipated.