The Disengagement Plan's bastard child – the removal of four settlements in northern Samaria – was born in Washington, unlike its big sister: The uprooting of the Jewish settlements in Gaza.
The destruction Gush Katif – among the crown jewels of the Israeli settlement enterprise – was the brainchild of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his team. But it was the State Department and Condoleezza Rice who came up with the idea of removing Homesh and the other Samaria communities as if it was an afterthought.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
We must keep all this in mind as we grapple with the harsh condemnation issued by the US in recent days over the Israeli decision to lift restrictions on Jewish presence in Homesh.
This condemnation is a direct continuation of the public rebuke of the Israeli ambassador in Washington and to President Joe Biden's statement calling the decision "particularly provocative and counterproductive". But let's not forget how the process culminating with the "small disengagement" in Samaria began and what it was the motivation behind it. Perhaps then we can be more sanguine and see the US condemnation for what it is: adding insult to injury.
During George W. Bush's first term, when Rice was national security advisor, she demanded that Sharon show his seriousness by adding a Judea and Samaria component to this plan.
Dov Weissglas, who was Sharon's bureau chief and one of the main proponents of the Disengagement Plan, once told me how the Samaria communities were added:
"The Americans were on the verge of issuing a letter that give de facto recognition to settlement blocs and a rejection of the return of refugees to Israel. But they wanted to avoid a perception that Israel was sacrificing Gaza in order to keep Judea and Samaria. The Gaza pullout was not enough as far as they were concerned."
Then-head of the National Security Council Advisor Giora Eiland, eventually had to reluctantly offer a new map that included northern Samaria. GOC Central Command Yair Naveh carried out the order without great pleasure. They both viewed this move in northern Samaria as meaningless – especially since the IDF remained there even after the settlers were removed.
This resulted in Israel adding another offering to the Gold Calf of the Disengagement Plan. The results of that plan have been felt ever since. In fact, when the Knesset voted on the legislation to repeal the law that barred Jewish presence in the former settlements in Samaria, it clearly mentioned how "none of the plan's objectives materialized…resulting in enormous damage." It also noted that lifting the restrictions on the return of Jews to the areas will "remove, to some extent, the national and moral stain on Israel." What's more, the US gift for the Israeli move – the presidential letter recognizing the settlement blocs – turned out to have shorter than expected best-buy date: The Obama administration ignored it, just like the Biden administration is doing right now.
So now that Israelis are once again allowed to set foot there, we should remember who got us out of there.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
