The Homesh First movement, which pioneered the unauthorized return visits to the northern Samaria town of Homesh, destroyed during the Disengagement, has set its eye on its next target for resettlement: the northern Gaza town of Elei Sinai.
The Homesh-Sa-Nur core group, which plans to resettle Homesh next month, toured the area overlooking the ruins of northern Gaza’s Jewish towns. They were joined by former Elei Sinai resident Avi Farhan and Tzion Ochayon, formerly of N’vei Dekalim.
Homesh First’s Yossi Dagan said at the meeting that it is clear that it is only a matter of time before the IDF liberates Gaza once again. “Our goal is to ascend to all of the destroyed communities at the earliest opportunity,” he explained. “There is no better answer to what is going on that to rebuild the communities – giving a message to the Palestinians that this is our answer to what they are doing. The state needs to say: We tried, we expelled, but the experiment failed.”
Dagan said, standing opposite the Gaza security fence, that it is perfectly clear that resettling northern Gaza is not only required, but very realistic. “The government need only move the fence over a number of meters,” he said. “This will be the beginning of the rectification of the mistake and desecration of G-d’s name caused by the expulsion and thereby fix the damage done to the state ever since.”
Gaza’s northernmost Jewish towns of Dugit, Nisanit and Elei Sinai were contiguous with Israel’s pre-1967 communities and considered suburbs of Ashkelon, which is now fired upon from the ruins of those towns.
Dagan admits that resettling Gaza is seemingly more of a difficult feat than northern Samaria, since the IDF has completely withdrawn from Gaza, whereas it still patrols northern Samaria. “But in Homesh, we started from nothing,” he says. “There was no public awareness about it and we reached a point where the public is extremely aware that we want to return. With Gush Katif, we are starting with a much higher awareness of the return movement.”
Farhan came to the overlook with two flags – one from his home in the Sinai community of Yamit, from which he was evicted following an Israeli peace treaty with Egypt – folded in a Tallit bag; the second from his home in Elei Sinai – waving aloft.
Gush Katif and Kibbutz Women Come Together For Sderot
Over the past year, a number of meetings have taken place at the Bnei Shimon regional council aimed at strengthening ties between women from the community of expellees from Atzmona, now living in Shomriya, and between local Kibbutz women.
The meetings of what has been called the “Women’s Circle,” take place regularly. At Tuesday’s meeting, the women brought with them necklaces that they had made, to be given, together with written blessings and words of encouragement, to the women of Sderot.
Atzmona's Rabbi Reuven Netanel, who moderates the sessions, said that “the Nation of Israel is compared to a long necklace, which, if one link in the chain is damaged brings about the falling apart of the necklace – whose completeness is important.”
Tuesday’s meeting was particularly successful, participants said, because it allowed both groups – the Atzmona group, which underwent the trauma of expulsion two years ago, and the Kibbutz group, many of whom supported the Disengagement – to come together on behalf of the people of Sderot, who are now living in a war zone.
“These meetings are very important so that both sides realize that the other does not have horns,” said Ariella Glick of Kibbutz Mishmar HaNegev, who took part in Tuesday’s meeting. “The matter was relevant and resulted in a very thoughtful gesture to the women of Sderot. I see the meetings as very positive and hope we are able to expand them to include other age groups.”
The Homesh-Sa-Nur core group, which plans to resettle Homesh next month, toured the area overlooking the ruins of northern Gaza’s Jewish towns. They were joined by former Elei Sinai resident Avi Farhan and Tzion Ochayon, formerly of N’vei Dekalim.
Homesh First’s Yossi Dagan said at the meeting that it is clear that it is only a matter of time before the IDF liberates Gaza once again. “Our goal is to ascend to all of the destroyed communities at the earliest opportunity,” he explained. “There is no better answer to what is going on that to rebuild the communities – giving a message to the Palestinians that this is our answer to what they are doing. The state needs to say: We tried, we expelled, but the experiment failed.”
Dagan said, standing opposite the Gaza security fence, that it is perfectly clear that resettling northern Gaza is not only required, but very realistic. “The government need only move the fence over a number of meters,” he said. “This will be the beginning of the rectification of the mistake and desecration of G-d’s name caused by the expulsion and thereby fix the damage done to the state ever since.”
Gaza’s northernmost Jewish towns of Dugit, Nisanit and Elei Sinai were contiguous with Israel’s pre-1967 communities and considered suburbs of Ashkelon, which is now fired upon from the ruins of those towns.
Dagan admits that resettling Gaza is seemingly more of a difficult feat than northern Samaria, since the IDF has completely withdrawn from Gaza, whereas it still patrols northern Samaria. “But in Homesh, we started from nothing,” he says. “There was no public awareness about it and we reached a point where the public is extremely aware that we want to return. With Gush Katif, we are starting with a much higher awareness of the return movement.”
Farhan came to the overlook with two flags – one from his home in the Sinai community of Yamit, from which he was evicted following an Israeli peace treaty with Egypt – folded in a Tallit bag; the second from his home in Elei Sinai – waving aloft.
Gush Katif and Kibbutz Women Come Together For Sderot
Over the past year, a number of meetings have taken place at the Bnei Shimon regional council aimed at strengthening ties between women from the community of expellees from Atzmona, now living in Shomriya, and between local Kibbutz women.
The meetings of what has been called the “Women’s Circle,” take place regularly. At Tuesday’s meeting, the women brought with them necklaces that they had made, to be given, together with written blessings and words of encouragement, to the women of Sderot.
Atzmona's Rabbi Reuven Netanel, who moderates the sessions, said that “the Nation of Israel is compared to a long necklace, which, if one link in the chain is damaged brings about the falling apart of the necklace – whose completeness is important.”
Tuesday’s meeting was particularly successful, participants said, because it allowed both groups – the Atzmona group, which underwent the trauma of expulsion two years ago, and the Kibbutz group, many of whom supported the Disengagement – to come together on behalf of the people of Sderot, who are now living in a war zone.
“These meetings are very important so that both sides realize that the other does not have horns,” said Ariella Glick of Kibbutz Mishmar HaNegev, who took part in Tuesday’s meeting. “The matter was relevant and resulted in a very thoughtful gesture to the women of Sderot. I see the meetings as very positive and hope we are able to expand them to include other age groups.”