National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz on Tuesday called Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza a “strategic error,” warning that renewed discussions of a Palestinian state or territorial withdrawals are “detached from security reality.”
Speaking at the Makor Rishon Settlement Conference in Ofra, Gantz stressed the importance of maintaining full Israeli security control in key strategic areas.
“We must maintain full security control—in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Southern Lebanon, and along the Syrian border,” he said. “Israel cannot afford to allow a significant invasion threat to develop on its borders.”
While rejecting the idea of rebuilding Israeli settlements in Gaza, Gantz said the evacuation of communities such as Dugit and Elei Sinai in 2005 was a mistake. The withdrawal, he argued, diminished Israel’s strategic depth and sent a damaging signal regarding the 1967 borders.
בני גנץ בוועידת ההתיישבות בעפרה: "ממשלת הסכמות תפתח את ההתיישבות בכל הארץ כולל ביו"ש" https://t.co/KjqAcQQk33
— הודיה כריש-חזוני Hodaya Karash-Hazony (@karash_hodaya) May 6, 2025
Gantz also leveled criticism at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wartime leadership, accusing the government of prioritizing political survival over national security.
He cited the failure to pass a new national service framework and efforts to preserve coalition stability “at the expense of security.”
His remarks followed Netanyahu’s speech Monday at the JNS Policy Summit in Jerusalem, where the prime minister rejected international pressure for a Palestinian state and asserted, “You cannot build peace and security on lies.”
