Yair Farjun, chairman of the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, an area which has recently experienced a rise in rocket attacks coming from the Gaza region, spoke with Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew website earlier this week.
During the interview, Farjun expressed his hopes that the upcoming Passover holiday will be a quiet one for the residents in the area. “We live here in a state of continuous emergency, which at any moment could become a real emergency situation,” he said.
Farjoun noted that not many residents are aware of the fact that they need to be wary of the Iron Dome system which was recently deployed in the region as a response to the rocket attacks.
“Iron Dome is an extraordinary machine, but residents need to know that it usually hits the enemy rockets over the fence of the community, as was the case in Kibbutz Karmia and in Netiv HaAsara which got some ricochets,” he said and added: “We had a hard week and we have now entered a quieter period, but during all these difficult days we stopped going out to work the fields.”
Farjun noted that he is well aware of the dangers the future holds for the region. “We must not be complacent. Everyone knows that there is a barrel of explosives right over the fence, called Hamastan. We are dealing with the Gaza Strip which is arming itself all the time. We now have to deal with the Kornet anti-tank missile which can be fired from a distance of three to four kilometers, as we saw with the hit on the school bus last week. These missiles threaten fifty kilometers of our area which is exposed to this deadly fire.”
He added that he is not entirely reassured by the statements of the politicians who have visited the region in recent days.
“The army always says they won’t allow the enemy to raise their heads,” he said. “But in fact we have to get used each time to the new ways they develop to hit us. The days pass and our mighty army cannot even bring Gilad Shalit home.”
Farjoun called on the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister to remember that the residents of the area are undergoing through hardships even when things are quiet. “Recently we have been visited by half the government. We’ve had visits from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, Transport and Internal Affairs. Unfortunately, they always come here during an emergency, but during regular times, after there have been three months of quiet, suddenly everyone forgets us, suddenly there is a message from the Ministry of Finance that it has stopped supporting us. It’s just ridiculous. As soon as it’s quiet here they stop giving us money. We are here in the communities around Gaza, we are a punching bag, the State’s flak jacket, they should know this. I think that the Prime Minister understands this but the clerks find it easy to reduce budgets. We argue that the communities here should be supported throughout the year.”
He praised the current and previous governments which took care to promote the project for protection of the Israeli communities facing the border. He noted the enormous strength of the area’s residents, who continue living through the not so simple times.
“We argue all the time that what keeps people here is the social resilience,” said Farjun. “People know why they’re here and they know why they should not leave this place. This is where our strength lies. I am glad that we are getting support from time to time and for that I have to say thank you.”
Farjun is convinced that the residents of the area near Gaza are the ones that fulfill the Zionist enterprise.
“We know why we’re here, and we accept the fact that we are Israel’s armored vest and punching bag. We know that we didn’t come here for summer camp, we are here for posterity. Every resident should work to strengthen the social reality in this country, and this is how the chain of generations in the Arava, Negev, Galilee, Judea and Samaria is strengthened. Everyone should know that we have a mission, to create a Jewish country. I pray to G-d to give me the wisdom to do so and to also do good for those who did us good, and there are lots of those.”