On Aug. 15, 2005, Israel began its “unilateral disengagement” from the Gaza Strip. Less than a month later, it had removed 11,000 soldiers and settlers from the territory. Though most Israelis supported the disengagement, the policy divided the governing Likud party. The disengagement’s most high-profile critic—then-Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—resigned from the government shortly before it was implemented and warned that leaving Gaza was an “irresponsible step” that would turn the territory into “a base for Islamic terrorism.”

The international community has forgotten about the disengagement, but Israelis have not. Successive polls show that Israelis increasingly believe Netanyahu’s criticisms of the disengagement were vindicated when Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, leading to a devastating cycle of violence that culminated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. For most Israelis, the disengagement demonstrated that territorial concessions bring disaster and should be avoided at all costs. As a result, Israeli support for a Palestinian state has reached a record low, while the Israeli right’s plans to settle and annex Gaza and the West Bank are moving steadily forward.

On Aug. 15, 2005, Israel began its “unilateral disengagement” from the Gaza Strip. Less than a month later, it had removed 11,000 soldiers and settlers from the territory. Though most Israelis supported the disengagement, the policy divided the governing Likud party. The disengagement’s most high-profile critic—then-Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—resigned from the government shortly before it was implemented and warned that leaving Gaza was an “irresponsible step” that would turn the territory into “a base for Islamic terrorism.”

The international community has forgotten about the disengagement, but Israelis have not. Successive polls show that Israelis increasingly believe Netanyahu’s criticisms of the disengagement were vindicated when Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, leading to a devastating cycle of violence that culminated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. For most Israelis, the disengagement demonstrated that territorial concessions bring disaster and should be avoided at all costs. As a result, Israeli support for a Palestinian state has reached a

© Foreign Policy