Yehuda Bashari, general secretary of Netzer Hazani – one of the oldest Gush Katif towns and considered to be one of the ideologically strongest – explained to Arutz-7 that though some people are packing, most are not actually preparing to leave. This, despite the fact that it is likely to involve a clash with expulsion forces, as well as the forfeiture of a large part of their compensation money.
The Evacuation/Compensation Law – known by the residents as the Expulsion/Theft Law – stipulates that residents who do not leave on their own by the specified date will lose the money designated for them as “adjustment” funds.
Bashari said that the army has presented the residents with an option he considers absolutely untenable: the abandonment of the hundreds of people who have come to strengthen Netzer Hazani in its dark hours.
“We had a meeting with the chief army commanders this week,” Bashari said, “in which they repeated the essence of the letter they tried to distribute to the residents: We must leave by midnight of Sunday night, and certainly no later than midnight Tuesday night; our cars can be taken out only by Tuesday; etc. When we asked what will happen with the hundreds and thousands of people who have come to Gush Katif over the past months, weeks and days to strengthen us – and who are living in tents and under very difficult conditions to do so – one of the commanders actually said, ‘Worry about yourselves; let the police deal with those others…’”
Bashari said he could not believe his ears, and began to yell in response: “Do you actually think we would abandon these people, who have made such great sacrifices to come and help us and be with us and try to stop this terrible crime, to those wild animals? How could we ever bear to hold our heads in public again? Is this the way you think we wage our struggle? We are all in this together! Do you expect us to leave in such a degrading manner?!”
Bashari did not deny that there are some families in Netzer Hazani who are planning to leave by the specified date. “They are a minority, however,” he said. “If we as a community decide to leave without a fight, then we will do this in an honorable fashion. We will gather all our ‘guests’ on Thursday or Friday, and officially thank them and the like, and explain that we have decided not to clash with the soldiers and police, and invite them to do the same.”
Bashari did not state it outright, but he gave the impression that this was not the route the majority of residents would choose. He and others in the town said that of the 70 veteran families, some 50 would not leave their homes voluntarily. The decision might be made as early as today.
The IDF Southern Command attempted to send a two-page letter to all the Jewish residents of Gaza on Monday, officially ordering them out of their homes. Contrary to previous reports, the letter does not threaten that utilities such as water and electricity will be turned off. Bashari said, in fact, that he received a promise – “not in writing, however,” – that this would not happen.
The letter does state, however, that on Monday, August 15, army forces will arrive and instruct residents to leave, and on Wednesday, they will begin forcibly expelling them.
The forcible expulsion is not slated to begin in all 25 Gaza and Shomron communities at once, though. In fact, the residents are preparing for an unknown period of limbo in which they will be under siege. The Gaza crossings will be closed to all incoming traffic; no one will be permitted to enter one community from another; and deliveries of food and other essentials will be all but cut off.
Bashari said that there are several reasons why it makes little sense for he and his neighbors to leave of their own volition: “First of all, this is the holy Land of Israel, given to the Jewish People by G-d. Secondly, and more mundane, as of now, we simply have no place to go. Despite all the experts’ warnings that communities must remain together, the government has simply not taken the trouble to make sure to do this. All the talk of moving to Nitzanim and the like is all a bluff – there are not enough houses there, and certainly not enough for a religious community to move together. Some of the houses are spoken for, in various areas of Nitzanim, leaving only pockets here and there for others to move into. There is no synagogue, no mikveh, nothing… In addition, the apartments they promised us all over the country are a sad joke – is that how they expect us to keep our community together?”
In short, Bashari said, “I expect that if this expulsion goes through, hundreds of families will be living in tents next week – until the government comes to its senses.”
Others will be living in government-supplied hotel rooms - but which also are problematic, in that the kashrut and health standards are not up to par in the hotels the government has hired for the purpose.
Bashari related to the fact that some of the communities, widely and euphemistically known as the “less ideological” ones, had signed early agreements for housing – and have been sorely disappointed when the government failed to come through. On Tuesday, for instance, a resident of one community who was asked about future plans, said, "We thought we knew where we were going, but have now been informed that the plans have fallen through."
Bashari emphasized: “Remember this: It’s the simple people who make history. When there is no leadership, it’s the regular people like those who live here who have led the way. Those who continued with faith and determination, and who did not get sucked into giving up the fight early, have led a pure and just struggle that will be remembered for decades.”
The Evacuation/Compensation Law – known by the residents as the Expulsion/Theft Law – stipulates that residents who do not leave on their own by the specified date will lose the money designated for them as “adjustment” funds.
Bashari said that the army has presented the residents with an option he considers absolutely untenable: the abandonment of the hundreds of people who have come to strengthen Netzer Hazani in its dark hours.
“We had a meeting with the chief army commanders this week,” Bashari said, “in which they repeated the essence of the letter they tried to distribute to the residents: We must leave by midnight of Sunday night, and certainly no later than midnight Tuesday night; our cars can be taken out only by Tuesday; etc. When we asked what will happen with the hundreds and thousands of people who have come to Gush Katif over the past months, weeks and days to strengthen us – and who are living in tents and under very difficult conditions to do so – one of the commanders actually said, ‘Worry about yourselves; let the police deal with those others…’”
Bashari said he could not believe his ears, and began to yell in response: “Do you actually think we would abandon these people, who have made such great sacrifices to come and help us and be with us and try to stop this terrible crime, to those wild animals? How could we ever bear to hold our heads in public again? Is this the way you think we wage our struggle? We are all in this together! Do you expect us to leave in such a degrading manner?!”
Bashari did not deny that there are some families in Netzer Hazani who are planning to leave by the specified date. “They are a minority, however,” he said. “If we as a community decide to leave without a fight, then we will do this in an honorable fashion. We will gather all our ‘guests’ on Thursday or Friday, and officially thank them and the like, and explain that we have decided not to clash with the soldiers and police, and invite them to do the same.”
Bashari did not state it outright, but he gave the impression that this was not the route the majority of residents would choose. He and others in the town said that of the 70 veteran families, some 50 would not leave their homes voluntarily. The decision might be made as early as today.
The IDF Southern Command attempted to send a two-page letter to all the Jewish residents of Gaza on Monday, officially ordering them out of their homes. Contrary to previous reports, the letter does not threaten that utilities such as water and electricity will be turned off. Bashari said, in fact, that he received a promise – “not in writing, however,” – that this would not happen.
The letter does state, however, that on Monday, August 15, army forces will arrive and instruct residents to leave, and on Wednesday, they will begin forcibly expelling them.
The forcible expulsion is not slated to begin in all 25 Gaza and Shomron communities at once, though. In fact, the residents are preparing for an unknown period of limbo in which they will be under siege. The Gaza crossings will be closed to all incoming traffic; no one will be permitted to enter one community from another; and deliveries of food and other essentials will be all but cut off.
Bashari said that there are several reasons why it makes little sense for he and his neighbors to leave of their own volition: “First of all, this is the holy Land of Israel, given to the Jewish People by G-d. Secondly, and more mundane, as of now, we simply have no place to go. Despite all the experts’ warnings that communities must remain together, the government has simply not taken the trouble to make sure to do this. All the talk of moving to Nitzanim and the like is all a bluff – there are not enough houses there, and certainly not enough for a religious community to move together. Some of the houses are spoken for, in various areas of Nitzanim, leaving only pockets here and there for others to move into. There is no synagogue, no mikveh, nothing… In addition, the apartments they promised us all over the country are a sad joke – is that how they expect us to keep our community together?”
In short, Bashari said, “I expect that if this expulsion goes through, hundreds of families will be living in tents next week – until the government comes to its senses.”
Others will be living in government-supplied hotel rooms - but which also are problematic, in that the kashrut and health standards are not up to par in the hotels the government has hired for the purpose.
Bashari related to the fact that some of the communities, widely and euphemistically known as the “less ideological” ones, had signed early agreements for housing – and have been sorely disappointed when the government failed to come through. On Tuesday, for instance, a resident of one community who was asked about future plans, said, "We thought we knew where we were going, but have now been informed that the plans have fallen through."
Bashari emphasized: “Remember this: It’s the simple people who make history. When there is no leadership, it’s the regular people like those who live here who have led the way. Those who continued with faith and determination, and who did not get sucked into giving up the fight early, have led a pure and just struggle that will be remembered for decades.”