"There was supposed to be a brit milah (ritual circumcision) of the first-born son of Ovadiah Ben-Natan," founding Netzer Hazani member Anita Tucker said today, "but it had to be pushed off because the baby was a bit jaundiced." Ovadiah spent over a week in prison and is still under house-and-yeshiva arrest for his part in protesting the evacuation of the Gush Katif hotel seven weeks ago
"But it was still an utterly amazing Sabbath," she said. "There were so many people here, both long-time residents and our 'guests' who have arrived in the past weeks. You felt that the prayers, and the large kiddush afterwards, simply broke through they heavens. There was a feeling that the People of Israel are simply an amazing people, with their good side breaking out all at once and making an indelible impression up there."
In attendance were Rabbis Moti Elon, Yehoshua Tzuckerman and Kabbalist Yeshua Ben-Shushan, as well as hundreds of guests.
Relations between newcomers and old-timers in the town are at an inspiringly high level. Mrs. Tucker - a grandmother several times over, a celery farmer, and a spokesperson for Gush Katif and Netzer Hazani - said that the town's veteran residents had met with the newcomers on Thursday night.
"We told them of the various committees that will be in charge for the coming days," she said, "as well as the scenarios we foresee for the coming days. The main thing we told them is that we're all in this together, and that we do not plan to abandon them. We have been told that special Yassam police units will be called in to deal with them, and we have some plans to try to stop this..."
Of the town's 80 families, none are planning to leave before receiving the army expulsion orders, and only 20 or fewer are planning to leave upon receiving them. "In short, the vast majority are staying put," Anita said. "The fact is that we have no place to go. If the worst happens, and they forcibly take us out of our homes sometime this week or next and drag us to Kisufim - none of us know where we'll be taken from there, and neither does the army. We demand to stay together, no matter what, and this has not been promised us."
Mrs. Tucker said that army officials have promised that water, electricity and the like will not be turned off until the last Jew has left. "But even though we remind them every day, they have still not given us this commitment in writing," she said, "and therefore I'm skeptical. We have seen what has happened to some of their promises."
"The army must understand that we have a need to protest," Anita said, "and that allowing us to do so will make it much easier. If those running this were a bit normal, they would say, 'These guys are nice people, they didn't do anyone any harm, they're being thrown out - let's let them protest, and let's find them normal housing.' But they're not taking this approach..."
Though the residents are preparing for a week-long siege or longer, Anita said that there have been many indications that Netzer Hazani is to be first on the list of communities to be destoyed. "We're on the main road, the closest to Kisufim, and they don't want us to try to disrupt the other evacuations," she said. Asked about Kfar Darom, which is located off the main road and is even closer to Kisufim, she said, "The people of Kfar Darom are expected to give the forces a pretty hard time, and Ariel Sharon doesn't want these pictures on television right at the beginning of the process."
Correspondent Haggai Huberman reports from an army briefing that the expulsion will begin with the following northern Gush Katif communities: Kfar Darom, Tel Katifa, Netzer Hazani, Katif, and Ganei Tal, as well as Netzarim in central Gaza.
The residents of Netzarim, who have not cooperated at all with the Disengagement Authority in planning their expulsion, do not plan to clash with soldiers. They say they will board the buses the minute the soldiers knock on their doors.
"But it was still an utterly amazing Sabbath," she said. "There were so many people here, both long-time residents and our 'guests' who have arrived in the past weeks. You felt that the prayers, and the large kiddush afterwards, simply broke through they heavens. There was a feeling that the People of Israel are simply an amazing people, with their good side breaking out all at once and making an indelible impression up there."
In attendance were Rabbis Moti Elon, Yehoshua Tzuckerman and Kabbalist Yeshua Ben-Shushan, as well as hundreds of guests.
Relations between newcomers and old-timers in the town are at an inspiringly high level. Mrs. Tucker - a grandmother several times over, a celery farmer, and a spokesperson for Gush Katif and Netzer Hazani - said that the town's veteran residents had met with the newcomers on Thursday night.
"We told them of the various committees that will be in charge for the coming days," she said, "as well as the scenarios we foresee for the coming days. The main thing we told them is that we're all in this together, and that we do not plan to abandon them. We have been told that special Yassam police units will be called in to deal with them, and we have some plans to try to stop this..."
Of the town's 80 families, none are planning to leave before receiving the army expulsion orders, and only 20 or fewer are planning to leave upon receiving them. "In short, the vast majority are staying put," Anita said. "The fact is that we have no place to go. If the worst happens, and they forcibly take us out of our homes sometime this week or next and drag us to Kisufim - none of us know where we'll be taken from there, and neither does the army. We demand to stay together, no matter what, and this has not been promised us."
Mrs. Tucker said that army officials have promised that water, electricity and the like will not be turned off until the last Jew has left. "But even though we remind them every day, they have still not given us this commitment in writing," she said, "and therefore I'm skeptical. We have seen what has happened to some of their promises."
"The army must understand that we have a need to protest," Anita said, "and that allowing us to do so will make it much easier. If those running this were a bit normal, they would say, 'These guys are nice people, they didn't do anyone any harm, they're being thrown out - let's let them protest, and let's find them normal housing.' But they're not taking this approach..."
Though the residents are preparing for a week-long siege or longer, Anita said that there have been many indications that Netzer Hazani is to be first on the list of communities to be destoyed. "We're on the main road, the closest to Kisufim, and they don't want us to try to disrupt the other evacuations," she said. Asked about Kfar Darom, which is located off the main road and is even closer to Kisufim, she said, "The people of Kfar Darom are expected to give the forces a pretty hard time, and Ariel Sharon doesn't want these pictures on television right at the beginning of the process."
Correspondent Haggai Huberman reports from an army briefing that the expulsion will begin with the following northern Gush Katif communities: Kfar Darom, Tel Katifa, Netzer Hazani, Katif, and Ganei Tal, as well as Netzarim in central Gaza.
The residents of Netzarim, who have not cooperated at all with the Disengagement Authority in planning their expulsion, do not plan to clash with soldiers. They say they will board the buses the minute the soldiers knock on their doors.