A man named Yahav Katzir, of Kibbutz Sdot Yam near Hadera, was sent by the Labor Party to be an election observer in Gush Katif last month. In a letter to the residents of Gadid, where he was stationed, he explained that he was originally very apprehensive about his job: \"I was first of all afraid of Arab terrorist attacks, and second of all I was afraid of you. I thought that you are extremists and unpleasant, because this is how the media describe you. I didn\'t understand at the time that this could be one big fabrication of the reality.\"
Katzir\'s letter to the residents of Gadid continues,
\"I got on the bulletproof bus [that morning], and my stomach started churning. I asked myself, \'Why do I need this? It\'s so dangerous! I have a family, why should I endanger myself?\' And so on and so forth for the rest of the trip... The army escort left us at the Gefen checkpoint. This scared me... I looked outside and saw that it was [safer than I thought]. As we traveled, I saw a stunningly beautiful area, with a pristine landscape. I became excited. But I kept on worrying about the meeting with you, the residents. Then we reached N\'vei Dekalim, and I saw warm and friendly people around me. I began to feel a sense of security... At this point, my opinion about you, the residents, changed from one extreme to the other: I understood that in this area live people who are warm and pleasant, who would love to change the stigma which others have unjustifiably stuck to them. I was amazed that you even thanked us for coming... I am very happy about the decision to send me to you...
\"As a kibbutznik and a farmer... I understood that your connection to the land is so strong, and for this you struggle so hard to remain in the Gush even beyond Zionism and politics. I very much admire people like you. As the day passed, I realized that your social lives are very developed, and everyone knows everyone else and supports everyone else. It is very moving to see such interaction.
\"Towards the end of the day, the desire to come and live with you came strongly over me, to join you despite all the fears I had at the beginning. The quiet, the people, the landscape - all this attracted me greatly.
\"In short, you succeeded in making me realize that what I had thought was based on unreliable sources, and that my stubbornness \"not to cross to the other side\" was not justified... Despite my left-wing views, I believe that one day, if Gush Katif still exists, I will come and join you in order to live in this beautiful place, with the good people in the area.
Thank you very, very, very much,
Yahav Katzir, Sdot Yam
Katzir\'s letter to the residents of Gadid continues,
\"I got on the bulletproof bus [that morning], and my stomach started churning. I asked myself, \'Why do I need this? It\'s so dangerous! I have a family, why should I endanger myself?\' And so on and so forth for the rest of the trip... The army escort left us at the Gefen checkpoint. This scared me... I looked outside and saw that it was [safer than I thought]. As we traveled, I saw a stunningly beautiful area, with a pristine landscape. I became excited. But I kept on worrying about the meeting with you, the residents. Then we reached N\'vei Dekalim, and I saw warm and friendly people around me. I began to feel a sense of security... At this point, my opinion about you, the residents, changed from one extreme to the other: I understood that in this area live people who are warm and pleasant, who would love to change the stigma which others have unjustifiably stuck to them. I was amazed that you even thanked us for coming... I am very happy about the decision to send me to you...
\"As a kibbutznik and a farmer... I understood that your connection to the land is so strong, and for this you struggle so hard to remain in the Gush even beyond Zionism and politics. I very much admire people like you. As the day passed, I realized that your social lives are very developed, and everyone knows everyone else and supports everyone else. It is very moving to see such interaction.
\"Towards the end of the day, the desire to come and live with you came strongly over me, to join you despite all the fears I had at the beginning. The quiet, the people, the landscape - all this attracted me greatly.
\"In short, you succeeded in making me realize that what I had thought was based on unreliable sources, and that my stubbornness \"not to cross to the other side\" was not justified... Despite my left-wing views, I believe that one day, if Gush Katif still exists, I will come and join you in order to live in this beautiful place, with the good people in the area.
Thank you very, very, very much,
Yahav Katzir, Sdot Yam