The calm in the region of the West Negev or the Gaza Envelope is deceiving. Ploughed fields are waiting for the rain, many Kibbutzim, a few flourishing moshavim, a brand new train station and a county town – Sderot – which is developing fast. Only the shelters (concrete constructions protecting against rockets), scattered around bus stations and commercial centres, hint of a war raging from time to time for the past 14 years – like a fire which is still smouldering and could be set alight by the slightest gust of dry wind.
The trip, organised by The Movement for the Future of the Western Negev together with Ora Levy, intended to show us the unusual way of life in the region bordering Gaza Strip, and to ask for our support of the residents who demand a political solution to the Gaza problem. “We are a growing group of people in the region who understand that the ‘rotations’ system does not work. We are no longer prepared to live in between the ‘drips’. We demand an in-depth treatment of all issues concerning Gaza.”
In Nahal Oz, Dani Rahamim told us about Operation Protective Edge (The last war between Israel IDF and the HAMAS ) which took place here in the summer of 2014. He told us about the resulting damages in the Kibbutz and its surrounding fields. He told us about the dwellers’ evacuation during the war, about families who could not withstand the pressure and left, and of other families who decided to join the Kibbutz. Tears welled when he told us about Daniel, the boy who was killed by a rocket on the last day of war, while he was trying to find shelter. We walked along the high painted wall which protects the nursery schools, wondering how it was possible to maintain the day to day life under such circumstances, knowing that at any minute a red alert can be sounded. Nahal Oz is situated in such close proximity to the rocket launching area in Gaza that sometimes the red alert is heard only after the rocket has already landed.
Netiv HaAsara is a moshav on the north border of Gaza Strip. Situated on a beautiful hill it looks like a luxurious suburb of Ashkelon. It’s no wonder that many families wish to join it, creating a demand for housing which far exceeds the supply. It is hard to ignore, though, the adjacent high wall (9 meters) blocking the view of the northern Gaza neighborhood, although the rockets, sent over from the Strip, trick the wall and pass over it. The residence of Netiv HaAsara suffered direct hits both from rockets coming over from Gaza into Israel and going from Israel into Gaza. Tsameret Zamir, a potter living in the moshav, felt it is unbearable to live next to a grey and gloomy wall and started to paint over it. Today, she guides visitors from Israel and from abroad (did we mention war tourism?) in decorating the wall while narrating the place’s story. Tsameret is also training young people with special needs to paint the wall and create colourful tiles.
Sderot Cinematheque – We visited the local cinematheque which has already a growing reputation and even hosts its own festival. Its manager, Benny, conveys optimism and tells us that, since the end of Operation Protective Edge, Sderot has been experiencing a rapid economic growth. Its unemployment is down, 28 new businesses were opened since and hundreds of living accommodations are being built throughout six new neighbourhoods.
Galli Basudo, Sharon Shelly, Mali Tapiro and our Yaela Raanan, are all impressive women who are active in The Movement for the Future of the Western Negev. They paint a more complex picture of the situation. Galli, who led our trip, lives with her family in Sderot. She is a social activist who deals with community development and works in The Israel Trauma Coalition. Galli talks about post-trauma prevalent among the community’s children and adults. Sharon, who lives in Or Haner, talks about her young daughter who could say ‘boom’ before she learned to say ‘mummy’. Then and I decided to go on the war-path. Mali Tapiro, who was the mapping co-ordinator of Sderot, suffered panic attacks and recovered by writing a delightful children’s book. Yaela Raanan told everyone “we haven’t come here to enlist you to WWP, but to observe, listen and share a big hug.
These impressive women are not prepared to play the role of the ‘strong home front’ which the leaders like to pride themselves on. They are not prepared to continue to live in fear from eminent red-alerts and are not prepared to experience war or disturbances every two-three years. They demand a political solution, specifically a solution for the time ticking bomb called Gaza.
Translated from Hebrew by Sarit Bloom
