Twenty-One Years After the Gaza Disengagement, a New Exhibition Revisits the Story of Gush Katif

@Rina Castelnovo

Twenty-one years after Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, a new exhibition revisits the history of Gush Katif and the questions that continue to shape Israeli society. Presented for the first time in the heart of Tel Aviv by the Gush Katif Heritage Commemoration Center, the exhibition aims to encourage open, attentive and respectful dialogue between Israelis with differing perspectives.

Titled “With Sensitivity and Determination,” the exhibition will open on September 3 at the Bifnocho cultural space in central Tel Aviv. It traces the history of Gush Katif, from the beginnings of Jewish settlement in the region and the development of its communities and agricultural sector, to the 2005 disengagement plan, the evacuation of residents and the human and social consequences that followed.

@ Miri Tzachi

An History Told in Four Stages

Built primarily around press photographs and archival documents, the exhibition is divided into four sections: “Roots,” “Settlement,” “Disengagement” and “Rebuilding.”

The exhibition’s purpose goes beyond recounting what happened 21 years ago.

It also examines how some of the questions raised at the time continue to shape Israeli society today: the relationship between settlement and democracy, the limits of protest and obedience, trust in the judicial system and state institutions, the relationship between the military and society, and the ability of groups with opposing views to acknowledge each other’s pain.

From Disengagement to October 7

The events of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza have also brought renewed attention to questions surrounding Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Among them is the strategic significance of the withdrawal and the idea that Israel could maintain a lasting separation between Gaza and its own territory.

The mass protests surrounding the judicial reform debate also revived questions that had already emerged during the opposition to the disengagement: the limits of protest, civil disobedience, refusal to serve, the state’s responsibility, and the relationship between citizens and state institutions.

For the organizers, revisiting the events of 2005 therefore provides an opportunity to better understand some of the processes that have shaped Israeli society over the past two decades.

The aim is not to determine once again who was right or wrong, but to understand how this period contributed to creating some of the wounds, frustrations and mistrust that remain today.

@Miri Tzachi

“A Wound That Remains Open”

For Rabbi Kobi Bornstein, Director of Content at the Gush Katif Heritage Commemoration Center, this history remains deeply relevant.

“Twenty-one years after the disengagement, the story of Gush Katif continues to be present and relevant to the central debates within Israeli society,” he explains. According to him, this is not simply a historical memory, but a story that continues to raise questions about society, the state, responsibility and leadership.

For many displaced families, this period still represents “an open wound.” The exhibition is therefore intended not only to tell their story, but also to create a space for encounter and listening.

Creating a Dialogue Between Different Perspectives

The exhibition’s curator, Galit Litani, who comes from an archaeological background and whose professional path differs from that of the historical actors of Gush Katif, sought to create a presentation that would also be accessible to visitors with little prior knowledge of the subject.

The aim is to allow visitors to discover the events with curiosity and openness, including those whose own views on disengagement or Jewish settlement in the region differ significantly from those presented in the exhibition.

For Avital Hefer, Director of Impact Projects at the Reality Group, the event reflects the mission of the venue hosting the exhibition: to create a space where complex and controversial stories can be presented and where different parts of Israeli society can come together.

@Leah Marmorstein

At a time of deep polarization, the exhibition seeks to encourage respectful and constructive social dialogue, allowing people to listen to one another’s narratives and discuss questions that do not necessarily have simple answers.

A series of talks and events will be held alongside the exhibition, bringing together different perspectives on Gush Katif and on the questions its history continues to raise.

Photographs by Dror Vanunu, Debbie Rosen, Miri Tzachi, Gladys Blank and Rina Castelnuovo will be displayed, alongside the artwork “Season of Transition” by artist Leah Marmorstein-Yarchi.

The exhibition will be on display until October 3 at 9 Itamar Ben-Avi Street, Tel Aviv.

Caroline Haïat