Why did Ariel Sharon’s Gaza disengagement plan face opposition within Likud?

Ariel Sharon’s Gaza disengagement plan faced significant opposition within Likud because the party was ideologically committed to the retention of territories conquered by Israel in 1967 and opposed the dismantling of Israeli settlements.12

Historically, Likud maintained a nationalist stance that rejected ceding major portions of land to Palestinian control. Although Sharon had previously been a staunch supporter of settlement construction, he revised his position due to the increasing casualties among Israeli forces tasked with defending the settlements in the Gaza Strip.21

Many party members viewed the unilateral withdrawal as a betrayal of Likud’s core principles. This internal friction ultimately led to a fracture within the party; in November 2005, Sharon left Likud to form the centrist party Kadima, taking many moderate members with him to pursue his policy of disengagement.12