Samaria Council launches campaign for Gaza resettlement

(JNS) — A new campaign by the Samaria Regional Council blames Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza for Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist massacre of some 1,200 people, primarily civilians, in the Jewish state.

As part of the effort, financed by friends of Samaria in Israel and abroad, the council put up billboards in Tel Aviv and other cities that read, “The reason—the result.” The ad shows a picture of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a photo of the Oct. 7 attacks.

“Oslo and the ‘disengagement’ brought this disaster upon us. Gush Katif and northern Samaria, we are returning home,” the advertisement adds.

In a statement, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan called on the Israeli government to allow Jews to resettle in Gush Katif (the Katif bloc), which was evacuated as part of the withdrawal from 21 communities in the Gaza Strip—including 17 in Gush Katif—and four in northern Samaria in 2005.

“Almost a year has passed since the most terrible disaster that has befallen the State of Israel. Exactly 19 years have passed since the expulsion in which we were displaced, and everyone now understands that the disengagement brought us this disaster,” said Dagan.

“It is clear to everyone that if Gush Katif had been settled, Hamas would not have been able to arm and strengthen itself, and so many who were taken from us would still be with us,” he continued. “The heart is broken, but we don’t get discouraged. It’s time to correct this terrible mistake.”

In August 2005, the Israeli government, headed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon unilaterally disengaged from Gaza, removing thousands of Jews from their homes and transferring them to within the Green Line.

While the move was designed to bring calm to Israel’s southern border, it ushered in a victory for Hamas in January 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections. In June 2006, the terrorist organization seized power in the Strip and evicted the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

During its Oct. 7 invasion of the northwestern Negev, Hamas murdered 1,200 people and wounded thousands more. It also took around 250 civilians and soldiers back to Gaza as hostages.

Some 53% of Jewish Israelis support the re-establishment of civilian communities in the Gaza Strip, according to the “Peace Index” survey released by Tel Aviv University in January of this year.

Three months ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out the possibility of returning to the territory.

“If you mean resettling Gaza, … it was never in the cards, and I said so openly. And some of my constituents are not happy about it, but that’s my position,” the Israeli leader said in a May 21 interview with CNN.