The Word On The Street

"The WORD on the street" is a way for those living in the United States to be connected with those living in the Land. The day's events, politics, pop-culture, family life, maybe even what’s on the dinner menu—all of this and more is likely to be found here. Visit regularly to hear the WORD on the street from our MAs and friends in Israel.

This Week Israel Is Remembering

21 July, 2010

This week Israel is remembering, but not celebrating, five years since our withdrawal from Gush Katif, the area of the Gaza strip Israel unilaterally gave up to the Palestinians in 2005. “Gush Katif” means “Place of Harvest,” and from the time the Israeli Government, thirty five years before, had sent people there to farm the sand, Jewish farmers had indeed made an area of fruitful harvest out of barren sandhills. Produce from the area provided 70 percent of Israel's fruit and vegetable needs, as well as much of Israel's export market, supplying Europe with potatoes. Israel left all their hothouses standing to enable the Palestinians to boost their economy with similar produce. The first thing destroyed were the greenhouses; nothing remained but twisted metal.

But produce was not all Israel had in mind when farming Gush Katif. The Government had visualized the farmers would also provide a type of “security fence” for Israel, keeping at a distance the occasional rocket fire from Gaza. Although the lives of the families established in Gush Katif was often threatened, and lives were lost, they did indeed act as a “wall of fire” protecting Israel.

After the withdrawal, as many as 250 rockets a day have been fired into Israel. Nobody in Israel applauds the withdrawal now, least of all the young military men who escorted the families from their homes. They were obeying orders, often with tears running down their faces.

“Land for peace” has become a meaningless idiom, although the man-on-the-street who remains a fervent humanist still deceives himself, claiming that if we only give back enough, Israel will get peaceful neighbors in return. The more astute point out that Hamas, who in practice governs all Palestinians, has never agreed to even the most basic of Israel's rights: the right to exist.

Hebrew Christian Fellowship