Why Did Israel Give Up Gaza For…Nothing?

In 2005, under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan, Israel evacuated 21 settlements in Gaza, forcing thousands of Israelis from their homes. Once a champion of settlements, Sharon made a dramatic reversal amid rising violence and security concerns. The withdrawal reshaped Gaza and Israeli politics, sparking lasting controversy over its consequences, from Hamas’s rise to the ongoing conflict. 00:00 Intro 01:06 Who was Ariel Sharon? 01:37 The 6 Day War 02:21 Land for Peace & The 3 No's 02:52 Israeli occupation & settlement 05:56 Israel-Egypt peace treaty 07:24 Sharon's reaction to the Sinai pullout 08:45 Sharon's support for Gaza settlement 09:23 The First Int!fada 09:48 The Oslo Accords 10:58 The Second Int!fada 14:19 The plan to disengage from Gaza 16:14 Reactions to the plan 17:14 The Disengagement 18:20 The aftermath Sources Joffe, Lawrence. "Obituary: Habes al-Majali." The Guardian, 26 Apr 2001. "Police attacked in Kfar Darom." YNet Staff, YNet, 18 Aug 2005. Weinberg, David M. "The Gaza Disengagement: Sharon's strategic mistake and its cost – opinion." Jerusalem Post, 9 Aug 2025. "INSIGHT | Disengagement from Gaza, 10 Years After." 124NEWS English, 19 Aug 2015. Lichfield, Gideon. "Ariel Sharon kicked my cousins out of Gaza. Here’s what they wanted to say to him before he died." Quartz, 21 Jul 2022. "Sharon's death divides former Gaza settlers." EuroNews, 13 Jan 2014. "Comments on Sharon visit, Gush Katif aftermath." AP Archive, 21 Jul 2015. King, Laura. "Warrior at Peace With Himself Over Decision." Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug 2005. "A History of Settlements: NPR Throughline." 31 Oct 2024. Shavit, Ari. "The General." The New Yorker, 15 Jan 2006. Sharon, Ariel and Chanoff, David. Warrior. Simon & Schuster, 2001. Sharon, Gilad. Sharon: The Life of a Leader. Harper, 2011. "Withdrawal from Gaza – Documentary (Unsettled)." ayoub animation, 3 Aug 2014. Brym, Robert J., and Bader Araj. “Intifada - The Second Intifada.” Britannica, 17 Sept 2024. Lazaroff, Tovah. “Former chief of staff: Ariel Sharon designed Gaza disengagement to save West Bank settlements.” Jerusalem Post, 16 Aug 2015. Waxman, Dov. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2019. "Gaza Withdrawal Reactions." Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, Poll 11, 17 Mar 2004. Subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss future uploads! https://www.youtube.com/UNPACKED?sub_confirmation=1 Recommended video – Is Palestine’s map actually shrinking? - https://youtu.be/45jJ5-pyylc?si=xGPvlgD-2bT5Vl-P We have merch! – http://shop.Unpacked.media/?utm_medium=youtube&utm_source… Let’s connect: Website — https://www.Unpacked.media Instagram — /unpackedmedia Twitter — /unpackedmedia TikTok — /unpackedmedia Facebook — /unpackedmedia ----------- Image and footage credits: Getty Images Israel GPO Library of Congress Passia ECF National Library of Israel ----------- Executive Producers: Michael Steinhardt Co-Executive Producers: Marc Shmuel Levine Iris & Shalom Maidenbaum Gold Level: The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life ----------- Translation credits: Portuguese: Saymon Pires About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion. Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between. About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking. #israel #palestine #gaza