Disengagement, Six Years Later

In 1976 Yitzhak Rabin’s government initiated the establishment of Gush Katif.

From 10 original families, Netzer Hazani became an Israeli town in 1977.

For 30 years, thousands of hard-working Israelis made the desert bloom.

Gush Katif grew to 23 communities…until August 15, 2005,

 when they became homeless and had to leave their fields behind:

 everything in Gush Katif was destroyed.

And today where are they?

Travel the highway from Jerusalem towards Ashkelon

and there is a new sign directing you to Netzer Hazani.

On the left side of the road is a welcome sign to Yesodot, a moshav founded in 1948.

On the right there is a gas station which is closed for the holy Sabbath.

A beautifully landscaped fountain greets visitors;

 the sign warns to look, but not to enter.

A blue security gate opens

 

  to the new

 Netzer Hazani.

Six years after being forced from their homes in Gush Katif,

one house is near completion, while many others are still being held up by red tape.

For many reasons, most home plans are much smaller than the original ones.

The main hall of the community center

is under construction.

This is its new kitchen.

Meanwhile, construction of the synagogue

has been stopped due to lack of money.

Afternoon tea hosted by Anita Tucker in her new home is quite a treat….

well… on the site of their new home.

Today these formerly productive people are still trying to re-establish,

some on the land bought from the religious Moshav Yesodot.

 Nahal Sorek, does not look like a river in summer, but if you follow the road

you will find a recycled water pond, which serves as a haven for migrating birds. 

The irrigation ditches for the new Netzer Hazani fields are in place

and the fields are being prepared for organic produce and new hot houses.

The infrastructure is ready,

with plans set for the first stage of 130 families to move in by August 2012.

This sign hangs at the entrance of the new Netzer Hazani,

it is a reproduction of one made and hung by their children in Gush Katif.

The sign proclaims a full belief in God.

After the ordeal of the last six years…that is an accomplishment.

Disengagement was supposed to bring peace…land for peace.

Instead, Israel has been bombarded by

 thousands and thousands of missiles and rockets from Gaza.

The “tent city” protest which began in Tel Aviv is entering its fourth week

with ‘”building crisis” and “social justice” as its headlines.

Bus loads of people are trying to spread the protest to the “periphery”.

How many think of the 9000 people left homeless by the disengagement?

How many of the tent protesters have even heard of Yamit?

 

For more information  see:   www.netzerhazani.org

 

0 thoughts on “Disengagement, Six Years Later

  • August 14, 2011 at 2:55 pm
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    Great article, and it does reveal the error of causing those people to leave the area, and it also reveals, the lies, that Peace would follow when the land is so-called returned. They are paying a heavy price for the so-called Peace initiative. When G-D promises something and we do not believe it, and keep it, a price is paid for. All of Israel belongs to Israel, and no one else. From the River Nile to the Euphrates this is the Land for Israel. I pray no more compromises will be forth coming, it will only mean more heart-ache and loss. G-D is your redeemer, not MAN! Shalom!

    Reply
  • August 14, 2011 at 6:31 pm
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    Thanks for posting these great pictures and significant article . I hope more people visiting Israel will be in touch and visit with us as you did.

    Reply
  • August 14, 2011 at 7:04 pm
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    Thank you, so much, for making me aware of the hardworking people from Gush Katif. I have also sent this forward to many friends who will not know of their struggle and their accomplishments. I love and appreciate what you are doing with ‘The Real Jerusalem Streets’. Thank you…shalom Hannah Brown from Salt Spring Island, BC.

    Reply
  • August 17, 2011 at 4:43 am
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    Keep up the good work. Hope this gets to Baltimore

    Reply
  • August 17, 2011 at 3:58 pm
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    In 1976 Yitzhak Rabin’s government initiated the establishment of Gush Katif.

    That’s the key sentence right there though. Should Gush Katif have been settled in the first place?

    Reply
    • August 19, 2011 at 5:35 am
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      Dan, it seems pretty clear that your skepticism is well-placed. In fact, I didn’t post this, but somebody borrowing my laptop accidentally posted it on my FB page.

      Reply
  • August 19, 2011 at 8:19 am
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    Living in Gush katif in the sand dunes that our Arab neighbors called the “cursed Land” of el g’erara (gerar)( as no one had lived there or grown anything there since abraham and Isaac according to their tradition) was a challenge that our gov’t asked young families to lift. .
    However it led to twenty four years of cooperation and good relationships between Jews and Arabs who lived in nearby towns and communities .

    Peace is about two people learning to live near each other —separating people can never bring peace closer , Peace in Hebrew is fro the word Shalem –wholeness ,oneness -this will only be when different peoples are given the opportunity to live side by side in a mutual respect .

    During the years we were able to live with our neighbors in cooperation. we introduced them to modern agriculture and helped them implement this to use the benefits of the sand and climate to work for them with and we learned many things from them as well.

    We of Gush Katif who lived in the Gaza strip encouraged the government to connect our neighbors to the Israel electric grid and Israel national water system —they were till then living in very primitive setups .
    I am glad and proud that our country had enabled us to have the privilege to live in this tiny edge strip of the map of Israel , in this part of the Land of the Tribe of Judah as mentioned in the Torah , There were Jewish towns in Gaza through the generations until the Jews of Gaza city had to flee for dear life in the Arab pogrom against Jews of 1929 in Jerusalem,Hebron and then in Gaza as well .In 1947 again Jews were driven out by the attacking Egyption army that didnot accept the UN partition plan where the sand dunes of Gush Katif were mapped as part of the suggested tiny Jewish state of the partition plan .
    We were happy to have had this opportunity and are sorry as they were that Yasser Arafat was brought in to “lead ” the people there. So many of our Arab friends and neighbors had their property confesgated by Arafat and so many of them were murdered by his “police” or hung in the streets. From that period on we no longer could visit our Arab friends nor could they easily visit with us. We as well suffered from the terror brought by the “piece ” of Arafat that tore all to pieces.

    I yearn for home, a home of my lifetime where children and grandchildren were born and where I hoped great grandchildren would be born (I promise this is not a political statement –but I still yearn that some day the situation will enable that I will have great grandchildren born there ! )

    Today, we are making every effort to build anew ,and again have a flourishing contributing community in our new location ,
    I hope today you agree that it would be constructive to cheer on these present efforts, and help make them a reality no matter what your outlook was then.

    Reply
  • August 19, 2011 at 12:48 pm
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    Thanks for a great post and information. I learn something new every time I visit your blog:-)
    Happy and blessed weekend to you!

    Reply
  • August 19, 2011 at 2:08 pm
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    In response to ‘dedc79’, YES, Gush katif had every right to be settled, the Land belongs to Israel. It’s that simple. Great response from Anita Tucker, I loved every word of it, thank you!

    Reply
  • August 21, 2011 at 12:47 am
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    thanks manic chef for listening and responding . Hope you will visit when in Israel.

    Hope dedc79 was capable of listening to information that he too may have not known .

    Reply
  • August 21, 2011 at 6:44 pm
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    I hope dedc79 will also be willing to be open enough to hear new information he or she may nor be aware of .

    Reply
  • September 17, 2011 at 11:08 am
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    As usual i enjoy this site immensely – Good luck in a new Gush Katif and am positive, with time and perseverance, it will flourish again!! – Arafat is long gone!! I really hated that man.
    Your pictures are magnificant and always a pleasure to scan throught them – hve a terrific week-end
    Annie Israel
    Belgium

    Reply
    • September 17, 2011 at 10:47 pm
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      The people of Gush Katif sacrificed so much for “peace”,
      and in return Israel got Hamas and thousands of missiles.
      Arafat is long gone, but his legacy of death and hate remains.
      The people of Gush Katif are remarkable, in spite of everything,
      they have kept their faith and continue to work hard to build and create.

      Reply
  • September 28, 2011 at 5:36 pm
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    MANIF CHEF I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU – SHALOM

    Reply
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