In 2005, under the government of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel withdrew from 21 communities in the Gaza Strip, 4 communities in northern Shomron (Samaria) and forcibly evacuated 9,000 residents from their homes. While proponents of the “Disengagement Plan” argued that it was a unilateral action taken in an effort to create defensible borders and garner international support, seven years later, it is clear that such was not the case and their hopes did not come to fruition. In light of the recent Gush Katif Day, commemorated on the 22 nd of Shevat, Jerusalem’s Gush Katif Museum has organized a high-profile event to be held in Brooklyn, New York, this Wednesday evening. The event is endorsed by a number of leading Jewish organizations including, Americans For a Safe Israel (AFSI) and The World Committee for the Land of Israel. Speakers will include Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mr. John Bolton, conservative media personality and ardent Israel supporter, Glenn Beck, Congressman Lee Terry of Nebraska, and comedian Jackie Mason. One of the organizers noted that Jackie Mason was asked to appear because, “giving up any part of the Land of Israel is NO joke to him.” The event was organized in an attempt to raise awareness of the Jewish people’s inalienable biblical, historical and strategic rights to the whole land of Israel, including all parts of Judea and Samaria. It also serves as a reminder that further attempts at “disengaging” from any parts of the Jewish ancestral homeland would threaten the existence of the State of Israel and be perilous to the future of the Jewish people. Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpo, whose organizations SOS Israel, founded the Gush Katif museum stated, “Negotiations are presently going on to give away Jerusalem, [the] Golan [Heights] and Judea and Samaria. To heighten awareness [regarding] preventing any further destruction of Jewish settlements in the Land of Israel, SOS-Israel opened the Gush Katif museum in Jerusalem in 2008. Since its opening, the museum has been visited by 100,000 people. We believe that people will never come through these kinds of disastrous concessions. These only encourage further aggression by terrorists intent on erasing Israel from the map.” “The traditional formula has been land for peace, and yet Israel has given up land and hasn’t gotten peace. Gaza is the perfect example of that…. I think the formula of the two-state solution has failed. This may seem pessimistic, but I think it’s the only realistic assessment at the moment,” John Bolton affirmed in an interview with the Jewish Voice. Reservations for the event can be made by contacting the Gush Katif Museum directly, at 718-989-2767 or via e-mail at GushKatifMuseum@hotmail.co.il . All contributions to the Gush Katif Museum are tax-deductible.
