Day 672 - Micah Goodman: 20 years to Disengagement as Israel is set to occupy Gaza

Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.

This week, as Israel stands poised to re-occupy the entire Gaza Strip, public intellectual and author Dr. Micah Goodman takes us through the Disengagement from Gaza 20 years ago.

Goodman, the author of influential works such as “Catch-67,” returns to the origins of the settlement movement and dissects the motivations driving Israelis from the right and left.

We learn how the First and Second Intifadas shifted stalwart settler leaders such as prime minister Ariel Sharon and set the table for the idea of unilateral disengagement from Gaza.

Goodman proposes that the trauma from the Disengagement has shaped the face of the Israeli right, with extremist party heads, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir openly supporting the resettlement of Gaza from the halls of the Knesset -- or the Temple Mount.

And finally, we turn to the Israeli cabinet's Thursday night decision to push for a reoccupation of Gaza and what this may do to the country.

Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

Young settlers cry and pray on the roof during the Disengagement in Neve Dekalim on August 17, 2005. (Nati Shohat/ Flash90)

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