White House: "Disengagement led to the current situation in Gaza"

The White House's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Issues in the Middle East, David Satterfield, said that the Disengagement from Gush Katif in 2005 led to the current reality in the region and that the US warned then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of its consequences, according to a Ynet report.

In a virtual conversation with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Satterfield said that, "What Sharon proposed was a blockade and isolation of Gaza. We told him that what needs to be done is to open up Gaza as much as possible and connect it to the international, regional and Israeli economy - to provide an alternative vision to Palestinian desperation" - which according to him Israel increased over the years.

Former Mossad head, Yossi Cohen, made a similar claim several months ago. "One of the greatest gifts the Palestinian Authority has ever received from the State of Israel was the Disengagement. An indescribable gift. We told them, 'Without any conditions, 365 square kilometers of land are yours.'

"I don't know what went through Ariel Sharon's mind, an honorable person, who went through with this process without any conditions or considerations," added Cohen at the time.