The story of Meir Margalit, a founder of the now-dismantled Ned Sarim settlement in Gaza, offers a personal lens through wich to view decades of Israeli settlement policy and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Established in 1985, Ned Sarim was one of many outposts built in the wake of IsraelS 1967 victory in the Six-Day War [[1]]. Its 2005 removal under Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan sparked political upheaval and continues to shape the debate over the future of the occupied territories,areas where accusations of apartheid have been levied [[2]].
Meir Margalit, born in Buenos Aires in 1952, grew up with a conviction shared by many Holocaust survivors: that the State of Israel represented a safe haven for Jewish people. This belief led him, at the age of 20 and as a member of a right-wing Zionist youth movement, to immigrate to Israel.
Margalit was among the founders of the Ned Sarim settlement in Gaza, a project that became one of the most contentious Israeli outposts in the region. The establishment of such settlements has long been a point of international debate and a key obstacle in peace negotiations with Palestinians.
After three decades, the Ned Sarim settlement was dismantled in 2005 as part of Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan. The move triggered a political crisis within Israel’s government, leading to the resignation of then-Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposed the withdrawal.
Margalit’s personal story reflects the complex history of Israeli settlements and the deep ideological divisions surrounding their existence. The dismantling of settlements like Ned Sarim remains a sensitive issue, influencing both domestic Israeli politics and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
