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War between Hamas and Israel: among Israeli settlers in the West Bank, the hope of a return to Gaza
War between Hamas and Israel: among Israeli settlers in the West Bank, the hope of a return to Gaza – (franceinfo)
In 2005, the Israeli state destroyed the homes of some 8,000 Israeli settlers in Gaza. Nirel Friedman was one of them. While he is today installed in a colony in the West Bank, the military operation in Gaza gives him the hope of a return to the Palestinian territory.
HAS Mevo Horon (West Bank)a small housing estate, the streets bear the names of former Israeli colonies in Gaza. This is where lives Nirel Friedmanevacuated in 2005 from the Palestinian territory, when he was 20 years old. Nirel Friedman planted the seed of an olive tree in his garden from his years in Gaza. Today, he is mobilized as a reservist in the army. The current military operation in Gaza gives him hope of a return to the Palestinian enclave. “I want to go back, and it’s even more than that, I believe it has to happen and it’s right”he believes.
Gaza evacuation seen as trauma
In his living room, an entire wall is dedicated to memories of Gaza. Under international law, the homes of some 8,000 settlers in Gaza were completely illegal. In 2005, Israeli bulldozers destroyed them. In the settler world, the evacuation of Gaza is a lasting trauma. For the international community, the illegal colonization of Palestinian lands partly explains the failure of the two-state solution.