The Gush Katif Conference for National Responsibility opened Tuesday morning at the Cultural Hall in Yad Binyamin, commemorating two decades since the Disengagement.
The confernce is slated to hold panels, interviews, and discussions reflecting on the 2005 Disengagement, its ongoing impact, and the legacy of settlement in the Gaza Strip region.
Speaking at the event, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared, “Gaza is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel. The question is how to turn that belief into a practical plan. Gush Katif was too small — we need to think much bigger.” He emphasized a vision for a broader return, stating, “Gaza gives us the opportunity to imagine something on a larger scale.”
Addressing his ongoing disagreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, Smotrich criticized both airdrops and truck shipments. “The airdrops don’t matter because they don’t reach Hamas,” he said. “But the real problem is aid entering Hamas-controlled areas by truck. Hamas seizes it, resells it, and keeps the population dependent.”
He expressed frustration over unmet promises to halt those deliveries. “I gave my word to the public that this would stop. I also said I couldn’t be part of a government that continued it — and I meant it,” Smotrich asserted. “If I’m still in this government despite the criticism, it’s because I believe things are about to change for the better. Time will tell if I’m right.”
A special highlight of the conference is to be a strategic simulation focused on Trump’s Gaza plan. Planned speakers include Merav Leshem Gonen, mother of hostage Romi Gonen; Rafi Shimoni, father of Ben Shimoni, who was killed while rescuing others during the October 7th massacre; and Elisha Medan, a wounded reservist who was honored with an Independence Day torch lighting.
Source link
