April 24, 2007

Independence Day in Homesh

Yom Haatzmaut (Tuesday 24 April 6 Iyar) is Israeli Independence Day. Israel is 59 years old today. To celebrate this year my husband (Hanan) and myself are going with a large group of people to Homesh. Homesh was one of the four communities in Northern Shomron (together with another 21 in Gush Katif) that were destroyed by the Israeli government in August 2005 as part of the policy of Disengagement. Homesh, located on the highest mountain in the region and is of great strategic importance. In 2005 the original plan was to hand over the area to the Palestinian Authority, but at the last minute, due to the insistence of the army, it was decided to expel the Jewish inhabitants and destroy all the homes in the community, but to maintain control of the area and not cede it to the Palestinians. The Jewish families who were expelled are demanding the right to rebuild their homes and return to their community. Five thousand marched to Homesh over Hannukah and about three thousand the week before Pesach. Today’s gathering is a demonstration of solidarity with the refugees from Homesh who have every right to return to their homes in the heartland of Eretz Yisrael.

We parked our car by Binyanei Hauma and left on a bus at 10.03 Tuesday morning. We paid NIS 30 each for roundtrip. There was a police car parked near the Homesh bus zone and one or two policemen carefully counting the number of people boarding the buses. I know for sure there were two busloads. There may have been more after our departure.

It was a routine journey until we arrived at the Geet Tsomet (junction) near Kedumim. Organizers told us that they suggested we leave the buses and walk a few meters to the Tsomet which was blocked by army vehicles, soldiers, police, and those guys in intimidating Black Nazi-like uniforms (the ones who first appeared during the Hitnatkut). They assured us that once hundreds of us arrived at the Tsomet then the army would allow the cars and buses to proceed to Shavei Shomron where we would disembark and walk up to Homesh. Well we stood there about 15 minutes and it was obvious to us and many others that the buses and cars would not be allowed in. Some hot shot army officer with lots of stripes and falafels on his shoulders said: "So they want to walk let them walk." We made a decision and walked around the barrier and indeed began walking. There was no attempt to stop walkers.

I had been to Homesh in May 2005 on a group trip with David Bedein and several foreign reporters. We were on a bus and I paid no attention then to names of Tsomets, distances etc. However, I did remember that Homesh was up very high. Indeed this is its very strategic importance.

Anyway we started walking. I had a heavy backpack with food. We always have a nice meal on Yom Atzmaut and we so no reason to forego this tradition. I had a container with fried chicken. Another with salad. Naive me figured we would eat lunch at 1.30 p.m. so I brought tunafish (another container) for a late evening meal. Fruit, etc. etc. The backpack was not light. Plus it holds a 3-litre waterpack with a tube that allows me to drink as I walk.

Hanan also had a backpack with another 4 1.5 litres of water. Matot Arim did not inform us that there would be water in Homesh. He also carried our jackets since it would be cold after sundown. Camera etc.etc.

So off we go from Tsomet Geet. WE walked and walked. We passed Kedumim and organizers informed us that we have to get to Tsomet Shavei Shomron. We continued walking. Then cars from Shavei Shomron began ferrying people from Geet to Shavei Shomron. But they didn't stop for people who had begun walking already. We walked an hour and a half and then we reached Tsomet Shavei Shomron. We walked at a good pace. Listen I walk an hour every morning in Ramot B, I work out 4.5 hours in the exercise room at the gym and I go to organized exercise classes 3 hours a week. In addition I work out with weights 2 hours a week. I consider myself in good shape. Hanan works one hour a week with weights.

From Tsomet Shavei Shomron we set out for Homesh through fields and over dirt paths. Eventually we reached an ascending asphalt road leading up to Homesh. You have to realize that there were hundreds, perhaps thousands of people walking in groups with long gaps in between. You just followed whoever was in front of you. At one point we reached a point where an army vehicle blocked the road. On the other side of the vehicle was an Arab village. The group directly in front of us turned right off the road. We assumed this meant that we could not continue on the road and walk through the village. So everyone went off the road.

We climbed uphill dirt paths, over rocks, up terraces, steep inclines you name it. Eventually we would reach a continuation of the road but higher up. The road seemed endless and curved around the mountain. We succeeded in scaling most of the shortcuts that people took. Near the very end several people began climbing up a near vertical mountain wall. I looked at it, assessed the situation and didn't think I could make it. We walked further until we found a safer shortcut to the road above. We finally reached what had formerly been the gate of Homesh at 15:15 p.m. We had walked four hours. Several times Hanan asked me if I wanted to turn back. I said no. I was determined to make it. People with young children stopped along the way to eat, but we didn't. I felt that if I stopped for an extended period of time I might not be able to continue the climb.

As we stumbled into Homesh Hanan found a minyan for Minhah and I found a vacant place under the shade of tree where we could have lunch. There were directional signs for bathrooms but they had not been set up yet.

I just collapsed on the ground. I took out disposable plates and began eating chicken and salad. I was simply starving. I took my hiking boots off and let my feet breathe. Hanan actually fell asleep for about half an hour. Even though I had a sweatshirt over my t-shirt I was cold because the t-shirt was wet from sweat. So I moved out into the warm sunshine. Later, when we got home I discovered that my arms had been sunburned in that short time.

After eating, we walked around Hmesh. I cried. I remember what the community looked like in May 2005 and there is just haphazard debris scattered around the site: concrete slabs, parking areas still there, outdoor stairs (concrete) to houses and between levels along the road. Red roof tiles are scattered all over, barbed wire, pieces of pipes, window frames. This is all that remains of a vibrant and dedicated community destroyed by its own government and army. You can still see the outline of houses. I saw some young girls and boys wandering over the plot of land that used to be their home. They were explaining to their friends: this was my room, this was the living room, kitchen. Terrible just terrible. The guilt rose up in my throat. I thought I would throw up. We, all of us, let this happen.

The speeches began about 17.00. Limor Sohn Har-Melech, a former Homesh resident who lost her first husband in a terror attack some years ago, addressed the demonstrators. She finally remarried about a year ago and gave birth to a son before Pesach and had the bris in Homesh just before Pesach. She wants to rebuild her home there and so do the other people.

Professor Yisrael Auman spoke. He schlepped up that mountain by foot as well. Said what a terrible thing it was that the communities were destroyed and said how wonderful that so many people turned up for Independence Day. There were some other speakers but I didn't pay attention. We were concerned with getting down the mountain. When we paid our money on the bus the young woman said the bus would be returning to Jerusalem at 7 p.m. When we first arrived in Homesh we made inquiries because we figured this would be impossible. We just arrived at our destination a little after three. We would have to turn around and go back immediately if the bus were leaving at 7 p.m. No one knew anything, least of all the organizers. At 6 p.m. we started to leave and met some of the organizers. They didn't know anything. I insisted. Then they broke down and told the truth. The original plan agreed upon by the army was that the buses would have brought us in all the way on the road. Then the army changed its mind. We had to walk in but they would send in the buses to take us out. Well, well, guess what? They reneged on that too! So at 18:10 we started the return journey. It was imperative to complete most of the journey before dark. We thought we would have to do those shortcuts again and there was no way we could negotiate them in darkness. Besides I had had enough of reenacting the film Cliffhanger.

Many people were walking down. At the same time there were thousands still in Homesh not even ready to leave. AND!!! Hundreds were ascending to Homesh as we were descending. It was amazing. I couldn't believe people were just arriving. Old, young, religious, non-religious. When we were in Homesh they announced that 13,000 people had come to Homesh.

When we got to the area where we assumed we were going to have to resort to shortcuts (by the Arab village) we saw that the road was not blocked. There were soldiers all over and we could walk through the village and stay on the road. I was very happy about this.

The last 30-45 minutes of the journey was completed in darkness. We did not think to bring a flashlight. We had to negotiate open fields full of gullies and lots of rocks and large stones. Near the end we had to remember where the deep trenches were located.

When we reached Tsomet Shavei Shomron it was chaos personified. Hundreds, thousands of people. Soldiers. Police. There were a few buses parked along the road: from Haifa, Nahriya and other northern locations. They had arrived here instead of at Geet. No one knew anything about transportation to Jerusalem. Supposedly the buses to Jerusalem and everywhere else were stuck out at Geet.

Young men and women were sitting on the ground preventing army vehicles from moving. They said if they could not go home then the army vehicles would not move either. People were screaming and shouting. Police and soldiers were also yelling. The army vehicles were practically on top of the people sitting in the street and threatening to run over them. I wasn't sitting down there. There were fistfights and suddenly the men in black uniforms showed up with guns in their hands, roughing up the people sitting on the ground and dragging them away. Flashbacks to Tsomet Gama. Hanan had just walked back to take some pictures of all the people. I have to check if he captured any of this with the camera.

Although it may have seemed logical to the army to prevent people from entering Homesh, it made no sense at all to prevent their leaving. The only possible explanation for such an action is small-minded meanness or vengeance.

I had a phone number for the organizer from Matot Arim. We called him. He didn't know the buses were not allowed to come in to Shavei Shomron. He suggested that we walk out to Geet. We told him the truth: we had walked enough and could not walk another 1.5 hours. I know I could not have made it.We called him again and he said the bus was coming in to Shavei Shomron. It didn't come. All of a sudden a car passed by, empty except for the driver. We flagged him down and we plus a woman we had walked with got in. He was from Shavei Shomron. The people were organizing private vehicles to take the crowds to Tsomet Geet to get the buses. He drove us to the Tsomet. I could barely get out of the car. We looked for the buses to Jerusalem. NO signs, no drivers. If you found a driver they wouldn't answer you. Called Matot Arim. He said the buses would not travel empty and the people would not walk out. He said Matot Arim was not loading buses unless the army let them in to Shavei Shomron. He suggested we tramp home to Jerusalem. By this time it was almost 9:00 p.m.

Our daughter in Eli had phoned me when I was stumbly in the dark. She said if we got stuck we should call. We called. My son-in-law came to get us. We drove him back to Eli and then took his car to Jerusalem. Hanan brought me to Binyanei Hauma and I drove his car home.

Needless to say we were both exhausted. I took a hot shower and fell into bed. Our Daniel arrived (he had been at a friend's engagement party in Kiryat Arba) and he wanted to return to Eli so he drove back in my son-in-law's car. I fell asleep in seconds. I did not get up at 5 a.m. for my usual walk. My legs hurt a bit and I am exhausted, but I am very glad that we went to Homesh.

When we first stood at Tsomet Geet Hanan asked one of the soldiers, an officer, how far was Homesh. He said 20 kilometers. Hanan looked at me and said "20, that's not bad, we can make it." He said this young lieutenant looked at Hanan and then at me with doubt in his eyes. I missed all of this. I was busy taking pictures of police and soldiers telling people in private cars and bus drivers that they could not get through the roadblock. Unfortunately, the soldier was no longer there when we returned. Hanan was going to tell him that we did make it.

Look we passed soldiers all along the route. We told them Chag Sameach and they answered accordingly. I am sure that Amir Peretz is responsible for all that happened. Because of him the elderly, couples with infants and young children had to walk down in the dark. If someone fell ill, had a heart attack, I wonder if the government could be held responsible. I don't know. They don't care how much they hurt people, that is, as long as they are Jews. They would never do this to Palestinians.

I learned one thing today. We are still fighting for our Independence. Our independence from this lousy leftist regime that wants to give Eretz Yisrael to the enemy. May we be privileged to see their defeat in the near future.











Tzomet Geet












Road from Shavei Shomron to Homesh





Up on top at Homesh
























"Am Yisrael Chai!!!"















Limor Sohn Har-Melech speaks.















View of the crowd










Back at Shavei Shomron Junction


Where are the buses? We want to go home.




















Traffic Jam. The army won't co-operate.

Old fashioned sit-in.