I was a soldier in Gaza in 2005. Back then, I helped Jews be evacuated | Opinion
As an Israel Defense Forces soldier in 2005, I was there and participated in the effort to end the Israeli occupation of Gaza.
It was a challenging period for Israel, with Jews being forcibly removed from the strip by their own government. Still, the hope was peace and prosperity for Palestinians, Israelis, and Gaza.
We have seen what happened in the last 19 years. Unfortunately, the leadership in Gaza had no interest or desire to live peaceably side by side with Jews.
As an IDF special forces veteran and rabbi, I pray for a world in which evil is uprooted and eliminated so all can live in peace and security, building for the future.
It may be difficult to imagine future peace after the barbaric actions of Hamas on Oct. 7, but I have hoped such a future is possible because we want a better world for everyone.
What should be clearer now, more than ever, is that it requires leadership willing to build a society dedicated to peace instead of devoted to destruction. That hatred is not inherited but taught and indoctrinated. And that the cycles of violence and hate can and must be broken.
Many people have promoted a narrative that Gaza was “occupied” before the Hamas attack.
Gaza was occupied, but that changed in 2005. With orders from the Israeli government, the IDF forcibly removed Jews from the Gaza strip. I participated in that effort as a chayal boded, an American “lone soldier” volunteering for military service in Israel.
The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 was difficult. The Israeli public was divided between “Team Orange” (anti-evacuation) and “Team Blue” (pro-evacuation).
Orange wanted to settle, cultivate and thrive in Gaza. Blue saw Jewish settlements in Gaza as an obstacle to peace and part of a future Palestinian state.
The goal of the disengagement was to remove the apparent obstacle to peace (Jewish presence in Gaza) and lead to peace and security for Israel and her Gazan neighbors.
Ultimately, the Blue camp was victorious, and the government went ahead with the removal of all the Jews from the Gaza Strip. My officer informed our team that we had been tasked with carrying out the removal orders.
Some of my teammates and I did not want to participate in the withdrawal. I had come to Israel to defend Israel, not to remove Jews from their homes. The task was made especially difficult for me. As a lone soldier, had been “adopted” by an Israeli family and gained two brothers, a mother, and a grandmother. And the men I served with all became my lifelong brothers.
These residents were reluctant to leave a place they had lived in for decades. Some handcuffed or tied themselves to structures. It was difficult and sad. Those evacuated were disheartened and felt abandoned and betrayed. But ultimately, they understood the importance of Jewish unity and the hope for a durable peace between Jews and Palestinians.
I, too, believed that Israel’s best chance for peace was with a strong Palestinian neighbor that would care for its citizens and provide them with education, healthcare, and civil infrastructure. This was the hope of Israeli society, who backed the withdrawal, and of the IDF soldiers who were forced to remove them.
But after Palestinian elections, Hamas seized control in Gaza, in a bloody overthrow of their rival faction, Fatah. Rather than establishing a peaceful place for their families to flourish, Hamas committed to the destruction of Israel and the killing of Israelis and Jews.
Hamas has transformed Gaza into a military encampment dedicated to war and destruction, diverting billions of dollars in international aid and donated construction materials into its vast terrorist infrastructure.
It may seem far away now, but there will be an end to this war—and hopefully, an end to Hamas. Then, the question will be how we ensure lasting peace and security for all inhabitants of the land.
Rabbi Jesse Charyn is the rabbi at Bet Shira Congregation in Miami.
