August 2-4, 2005

SDEROT and OFAKIM

Well, I've just turned over my sleeping bag to air out the other side. No, I haven't returned from a camping trip to Galiee or the Golan, nor have I come back from a trip to the Sinai. I've come home from Ofakim where another attempt was made to reach Gush Katif. But let's begin at the beginning.

Once again Moetzet Yesha (the Council for the Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza) organized another rally and march to Gush Katif. This time it was held in Sderot.

Well, Yesha's original plan was to have it in three towns: Sderot, Ofakim and Netivot. Almost immediately the Police objected. No, Yesha could only have in one location for the march. Fine, Yesha decided to have the meeting point in Sderot. The police object for several reasons. First, Sderot is too close to Gush Katif. They figured that too many protesters might actually be able to make it into Gush Katif. Second, Sderot is basically a war zone. Kassam rockets are fired on Sderot on a regular basis. Lately the government and the army are doing less and less to implement countermeasures such as finding the launch sites for the Kassams and destroying them or launching artillery barrages to discourage the Palestinians from firing the rockets. The army is too busy preparing to implement the Disengagement Plan that will force 10,000 Jews out of their homes, where they have lived for decades. Sharon and company realized it would look really bad if 50,000-60,000 or more protesters arrived in Sderot for a prolonged stay and suddenly Palestinians began firing Kassam rockets into the crowds. There was a potential for massive casualties and that wouldn't look good for Sharon who repeatedly claims that once the Gazan settlements are emptied of Jews Israelis will be more secure. Yesha objected resulting in a stalemate.

Yesha was determined to hold the march. The police were determined to stop it. It looked like a repeat of Kfar Maimon two weeks earlier. Except it is much more difficult to close off and lay siege to a town of several thousand people than to a small community of 180 families. The police threatened to stop the chartered buses once more.

Several government ministers thought the demonstrators should be allowed to march. After all, Israel is supposed to be a democracy. Sharon removed the topic from discussion at a cabinet meeting. Hm, sounds like suppression of free speech to me! After much negotiation, threats and counter-threats an agreement was reached. Yesha could have a rally in Sderot, but after the rally (which the police wanted to end by 10 p.m.) the demonstrators could only travel to Ofakim where they could stay for several days. The police really wanted everything to end before Shabbat August 5.

Tuesday: August 2, 2005 SDEROT

We left Jerusalem for Sderot around 4.30 p.m. We had our own vehicle (didn't want to risk being on a bus and having it stopped by the police). Thousands of cars on the road all with orange ribbons and flags, all headed for the same place. We arrived about 6:00 p.m. What a traffic jam! Trying to find a place to park took time and great patience. Lots of police and soldiers too. We walked to the area designated for the rally. Lots of people were there already! As we walked through the streets of Sderot many of the local people were out on balconies and we waved to them.

I have great admiration for the people of Sderot (a development town in the Negev). Palestinians have targeted this town for months with Kassam rockets. When the people complain that the government is not doing anything to defend them a few ministers make a photo-op appearance in the town for a few hours and then ride off into the sunset. End of story!!! The municipality's pleas for better defense and protection have fallen on deaf ears. Until recently, Sderot tried to distance itself from the Disengagement issue, but recently it has come to realize that once the Gaza settlements are destroyed Sderot will become the front line. It is in their interest to join forces with Yesha and oppose the Disengagement.

The program began at 7:00 p.m. We sat on a large grassy area and listened to speeches by Knesset Members (Uzi Landau, Natan Sharansky, Zvi Hendel, Effie Eitam, Eli Yeshai); Rabbis (Haim Druckman, Menahem Porush, Kaminetsky and others); Yesha representatives (Pinchas Wallenstein, Benzi Liberman and others.).

The main points were:

1. Eretz Yisrael is not for sale.

2. We should not reward terrorism by unilateral withdrawal.

3. We should not take Jews out of their homes.

4. The army should not be used to implement the Disengagement Plan.

5. The huge number of army, police and border police personnel being trained to force Jews out of their homes should be used to fight the Palestinian terrorists.

It became known that a group of twenty-nine women were leaving to march to Gush Katif. They set out on their own. Later that night it was announced that they were apprehended and taken to a prison. During the night all of them were released except for Daniella Weiss, who claims she was roughed up and man-handled by the police. ALL TRUE I'M SURE. For those unfamiliar with her name, Daniella has been a dominant figure in the Gush Emunim settlement movement, which has restored Jewish life to Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan Heights. She was elected mayor of Kedumim in 1996 and re-elected for a second term in November 2001.

When the speeches ended we sang HaTikvah and were told to leave in an orderly manner for Ofakim.

Once we got to our car we sat in traffic for one hour without moving. There was only one exit out of Sderot to Ofakim or so the police said. We tried a couple of alternate routes that didn't pan out, but my persistent and resourceful husband found a path across a field that was wide enough for a car and we arrived at an accessible road that took us out of Sderot within minutes. Later, I was to learn that most people spent three hours getting out of Sderot.

We, however, spent the night in a nearby moshav called Tukumah.

Wednesday: August 3, 2005 OFAKIM

We arrived in Ofakim about 8:30 a.m. after a good night's sleep in a regular bed. All the demonstrators were settled into a huge park next to the industrial zone. There were thousands and thousands of people. Tents were set up all over and areas had signs indicating where the inhabitants originated from. There was a group from Kedumim, Gush Etzion, Haifa, Carmel, etc. Not everyone had tents. Lots of people had sleeping bags and were asleep on the ground.

There were stands selling water, soft drinks, ice cream, cakes, sandwiches etc. Multiple electrical outlets where you could charge a cell phone. Vendors selling Gush Katif hats, bracelets, tote bags, etc. Television crews were in abundance, photographers all over the place and reporters roaming around looking for interviewees.

Large tents were set up for lectures and shiurim. Loudspeakers announced a schedule of activities for adults, youth and children. Frequent reminders were made that everyone should drink a lot of water, wear a hat and try to stay in the shade as much as possible.

We began walking around the park area. I was particularly eager to look for people I knew. My husband had to return to Jerusalem and I preferred connecting with a small group that I could camp out with. Within minutes I met several women acquaintances from Jerusalem and they were happy to have me join their company. I was delighted. They had arrived by bus to Sderot the night before -- all carrying sleeping bags and backpacks. They had arrived in Ofakim from Sderot at about 1 a.m.

By 11 a.m. we were listening to a lecture being given by a career officer in the Israel Defense Forces. He left the army in protest against the Disengagement Plan. He refused to play any part in making part of Eretz Yisrael Judenrein. He was giving a lesson on how to persuade soldiers to refuse participation in forcing fellow Jews out of their homes. He gave examples of how to engage soldiers in conversation and how to convince them to refuse or at the very least to think about what they were intending to do. We received colorful printed material on this subject and were asked to go out later in the afternoon to meet with several groups of soldiers who were stationed around Ofakim on duty to help stop us if we tried to continue on to Gush Katif.

Yesha had a huge tent where they were selling hot meals for lunch -- meat and vegetarian -- at very low prices. You have to understand that large families had come to this gathering. Families with 8-10 kids and they could not afford regular restaurant prices. I must, once again (see my blog on Kfar Maimon) , express my admiration for all the families who showed up with small children -- infants and toddlers. Living out of a tent or out of sleeping bags and backpacks is not easy at the best of times. Compound this with the oppressive heat, use of portable toilets, lack of privacy and all the other inconveniences that result when a large number of people gather in one area and you realize how much these people are dedicated to Eretz Yisrael. There is no other population in this country that would do this except the nationalists (religious and secular). The people who are willing to do all that is necessary to prevent Eretz Yisrael from being given away, piece by piece. Kol Hakovod!!!


After lunch I tried to sit quietly in a shady spot under a tree and read. It was hard to concentrate in the heat.

PANIM EL PANIM (FACE TO FACE)

At 5 p.m. we were invited to accompany Ariel Zilber around Ofakim to meet the soldiers and speak with them. Ariel Zilber is an Israeli folksinger who is against the Disengagement. Several months ago he moved to Gush Katif. Of course, this did not help his career as a singer. The entertainment community in Israel is very leftwing and distanced itself from him. However, he believes that Jews do not evict Jews from their homes and his principles are more important than his career.

He has written several songs about the Disengagement, the most popular being "A Jew Does Not Evict/Throw out a Jew (יהודי לא מגורש יהודי). He sat on a truck playing his music and we walked behind him. We walked around Ofakim visiting three army encampments. Each time the soldiers saw us approaching they ran to form a tight line either holding hands or intertwining their arms and forming a line that would prevent anyone breaking through. As we approached police came to stand in front and behind the line of soldiers. We offered them candy and bottles of cold water. They refused to take anything. Obviously, they had been told not to take anything. We began talking to them. They were obviously uncomfortable. One woman soldier asked if we were from Gush Katif. When no one answered in the affirmative she asked "Then why are you here? Why are you concerned that the people in Gush Katif are being taken out? Why is it so important for you?" We tried to explain that all Jews should be concerned for each other. This seemed a new concept to her. We queried whether they had thought about their actions. Most said they were following orders.

Their commanding officers were nearby listening to every word they said and discouraging them from speaking with us. We tried to hand out some literature to them, but they refused to take it. We left some on the ground, thinking one or two might take it after we had walked away.

There was a young woman in our group who began to cry. We asked her what was wrong? She said she was from Haifa. She had been in the army. Only recently, had she become religious. She felt that it would be easier for her to talk to the soldiers since she knew what it was like to be in the army, but after she had spoken with them she felt she and they were worlds apart with nothing in common. Even though she had been in the army and told to obey orders she felt that the soldiers should refuse to carry out the Disengagement. We tried to calm her down, but she just wept and wept.

It is interesting to note that every time we approached a line of soldiers one officer came toward us with a video camera and made sure he got all of our faces on film. I suppose our faces will be included in a gigantic file labeled "right wing extremists." Is this what Israel is turning into -- a police state, a dictatorship where everyone who opposes the government line is photographed and kept on file for future reference?

This was an exhausting walk that lasted two and a half hours. I can only hope that we had an impact on some of the soldiers. That they should think about what they are about to do! That they should realize these are very unusual orders. Usually the army is asked to protect Jews, whereas here they are being asking to force Jews out of their rightful home! We tried to tell them that if they decide to carry out these orders they should do so with as much compassion and regret as possible! That they should not be proud of what they are doing! It was hard to make eye contact with the soldiers, but occasionally we succeeded. What I saw was doubt, fear, and tears.

We returned to the center of Ofakim. People were gathering in a large area where a platform had been erected. An announcer with a loudspeaker was calling everyone to gather around. A second rally was in progress in downtown Ofakim. Soon there were thousands and standing room only. We heard from Yitzhak Levy, Gila Finkelstein, David Levy, Rabbi Druckman, the mayor of Ofakim, Pinchas Wallenstein and Benzi Liberman. They announced that after the rally we would begin our march to Gush Katif.

We had been away for hours visiting the soldiers and did not know that we were going to begin the march so soon. We did not have our backpacks because we had left them in the park. If the demonstrators were going to sleep out in the fields we had no sleeping bags, water or food. Not good! We decided to walk back to the park and get our belongings. Who knows? Perhaps we would be allowed to go all the way to Gush Katif.

You must realize that we are not familiar with Ofakim. We were a long long way from the park. We asked directions several times and were told there, there, there. We passed a couple of fast food places with TV sets. We could see the police and soldiers harrassing the marchers when they were only a kilometer out of Ofakim. We weren't optimistic.

We were beginning to think we were lost. We saw two young girls sitting on some steps and asked if we were close to the park. Suddenly, an older woman appeared behind them, their grandmother. She asked where we were from and invited us into her courtyard. We told her we were there for the demonstration and were headed to the park to pick up our belongings and then catch up with the marchers. She insisted that we have some fruit and something to drink. She ended up telling us her life story, how she was born in Morocco and came to Israel when she was 18 and lived her whole life in Ofakim. She had 9 children, but none of them lived in Ofakim. She wanted us to stay for a meal but we had to get back. She walked with us for about a block and then said Shalom. A wonderful woman, so friendly and such hospitality.

We finally straggled into the park at 12:15 a.m. Most of the people had left to go on the march but there were several people left in the park. Some people with small children chose not to go and some singles had also stayed behind. We were so exhausted, we just dragged our gear under a thin canopy and unrolled our sleeping bags. Within a few minutes I was asleep. At around 2 a.m. I woke up hearing voices. Some teenagers had just arrived in the park. I asked them what happened? They said the police and army had stopped the marchers. Most people were too tied to return and just slept on the side of the road and on the grass at traffice circles. These young people had been at the end of the march and decided to make their way back to the park. Stragglers arrived throughout the night.

In the morning the park was full of people again. Many more had returned. At 11:00 a.m. we were given an update. The marchers had been stopped, but several hundred individuals had reached Gush Katif by alternate routes. Rabbi Haim Druckman said that one local reporter/photographer (remember the local media is not a friend of the anti-Disengagement people) said to him: "Aside from all political issues, I want to tell you that no other group of people in Israel would do what these people are doing. No other group thinks anything is important enough to warrant sleeping on roadsides or in parks, to endure such discomfort as the oppressive heat, etc."

Pinchas Wallenstein said the head of the Galilee Council called him and said: "I envy you your people. I wish I had them." Yesha announced that people were staying in the park everyday and night. Those who thought they needed to leave to recuperate before the next march should do so. There would be continuing efforts to reach Gush Katif.

You must realize that thousands of police and soliders had been diverted to Ofakim. This is good. While they are watching us they can't practice for the evacuation. We weaken their resolve.

I decided there was little more I could do and decided to return to Jerusalem on a 2 p.m. bus. I was exhausted and worn out from the heat. I needed to gather strength for the next phase of the struggle.

I would like to end this entry with a quote I read in an article:

FOR THE ETERNAL PEOPLE A LONG JOURNEY IS NOT A HARDSHIP!!