October 22, 2004 - Nineteen mortars have fallen on Gush Katif since midnight and have continued through the morning. I am sitting in my office and I hear the sounds of the explosions.



Einat, a co-worker, tells of her night of terror. Seven of the mortars fell near her home. Last week, her car was damaged by a mortar. Her mother-in-law called and said, "You're being punished because two terrorists were killed. Leave now!"



The army makes a feeble response. Rifle fire and occasional tank fire. The people of Gush Katif are expendable. We are now being described as people whom the army should not defend, who waste taxpayers money, who train our children to fight soldiers, who are planning the assassination of the prime minister.



Once, we were quiet farmers, teachers, rabbis, housewives, Zionists. Today, every day, the Israeli media have turned us into pariahs. Why? Because we dare to resist our expulsion.



All we wanted to do was live our lives on this small piece of land; land that belongs to the Jews and that successive Israeli governments encouraged us to settle and develop. Now we are a most prosperous area. We have lovely homes, friendly communities, beautiful synagogues, Torah lessons, highly developed "chessed" programs, and an active community center enriching our lives with music, lectures and plays. We have schools, yeshivas, and a rehabilitation center for seniors, as well as for children with special needs.



Our girls in Ulpana N'vei Dekalim, a religious junior and senior high school, are sought after for national service in Israel and abroad. Our young men are officers in the IDF. Our farmers provide 95% of the world's kosher, bug-free vegetables.



And because of Mr. Ariel Sharon's plan to expel us, we have become a cause celebre here in Israel and in the world.



Each day, I receive calls and e-mails from friends around the world. Many weep as they ask the same question, "Why is Sharon doing this?"



The world media has descended on Gush Katif. My husband and I are volunteers with the Gush Katif Information Service and we are asked to speak with the media. The world is looking at tiny Gush Katif and how this story is being played out. Here is a story of ordinary people living in a war zone who refuse to allow their prime minister to forcibly remove them from their homes. Our story has captured the imagination of people in the USA, Europe, Japan, Russia and even small Slovenia. Television crews, reporters, radio announcers, photographers - all are here.



One question is asked over and over again: "Why is Ariel Sharon ready to give this beautiful place to terrorists? We thought you were a few tin huts on sand dunes. Now we see how developed this community is. We don't understand what he's doing, do you?"



We have just received our letter from Yonatan Bassi, head of the committee overseeing payments to the soon-to-be-expelled Jews of Gaza and the northern Shomron. Like everyone else here, we brought our letter, unopened, to the town council to be 'returned to sender'.



On Tuesday of this week, October 25th, the Knesset will vote on the expulsion plan. The media say it's a done deal. With the Arab votes, Mr. Sharon will have enough votes to pass the plan on its first reading. On Tuesday, all of the children of Judea, Samaria and Gaza will be standing in their distinctive orange t-shirts. One thought will be in their minds: what have we done to deserve this?



We will pray for the Almighty to perform his miracles for us. Pray with us.