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Organisers of an exhibition that revisits the story of Gush Katif – a block of 17 Israeli settlements in Gaza – 21 years after Israel’s disengagement from the strip hope to encourage dialogue between Israelis with differing perspectives.
Entitled Sensitive and Determined the exhibition comes as the October 7 terror attacks and subsequent wars have reignited debate over the 2005 withdrawal.
It was organised by the Gush Katif Heritage Commemoration Centre following an invitation from a cultural communal space in central Tel Aviv, Bifnocho, to bring the contested history to a broader Israeli audience.
The exhibition traces Gush Katif from the establishment of its communities and their agricultural life through the political struggle over the 2005 disengagement, the evacuation of some 8,000 residents and the years of rebuilding and adjustment that followed.
Built primarily around press photographs and historical documentation, the exhibition is divided into four sections: “Holding”, “Settlement”, “Disengagement” and “Coping”.
The organisers say the aim is not to settle the argument over whether the disengagement was right or wrong, but to create a space for different perspectives and encourage visitors to listen to one another.
The exhibition, which is free and runs until October 3, also examines questions surrounding how the disengagement continue to shape Israeli society. Among them are trust in state institutions and the legal system, relations between the military and society, and whether Israelis can recognise the pain of people with whom they fundamentally disagree.
The October 7 attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza have given some of those questions renewed relevance, particularly the debate over Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the assumption that the territory could effectively be left “beyond the fence”.
Rabbi Kobi Bornstein, content director at the Gush Katif Heritage Commemoration Centre, said: “Twenty-one years after the disengagement, the story of Gush Katif continues to be present and relevant at the central value intersections of Israeli society.
“This is not a memory left behind, but a story that continues to raise deep questions about society, state, responsibility and leadership,” he said.
“For many, this is still an open wound, not only of the families who were displaced from their homes, but of Israeli society as a whole.”
A programme of talks and events will accompany the exhibition, bringing together different perspectives on Gush Katif and its legacy.
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