Nearly 8,000 Israeli settlers left the Gaza Strip in 2005 after a decision by Ariel Sharon’s government. In Nitzan, Israel, the idea of a return is growing.
The Israeli settlers of Gush Katif, named after the Jewish communities established in the Gaza Strip from the end of the 1970s, some dream of returning there. And why not just after the current conflict.
In Nitzan, south of Ashdod, an Israeli town located on the coast, the caravans into which the settlers had moved when leaving Gaza in 2005 have given way to permanent houses. There is a street “Gush Katif” and a museum.“That was brought from Gush Katif. It was at the entrance to all the communities”. Shimon, the guide, shows a wooden panel decorated with palm trees.
:quality(50)/2023/10/27/1000027758-653bd62fdf283923600672.jpg)
Outside the museum, frescoes on the walls recall their happy days and a film retraces life in these colonies focused on modern agriculture that Shimon has not forgotten. In a photo album, he proudly shows the lush plantations of the farm where he worked.
In a pink plastic bag, he carefully keeps sand and shells brought from Gaza eighteen years earlier. Today, they are used to make earrings for young girls getting married. At 71, he says he is ready to make the journey in the opposite direction. “Yes, we have to go back, we have to, of course! My family and I would go!”
A return if peace is established
At his side, Laurence is less categorical, she would only return to Gush Katif if peace with the Arab neighbors was possible. But she still believes that this land is indeed that of Israel. “This place is not because it is my house, my greenhouses, etc. It is because there is a much more collective value which must be that of a land belonging to the Jewish people”, she defends herself.
Kobi, a former teacher in a Talmudic school in Gush Katif, nods and shows the replica of an ancient mosaic. “Here, these are letters in Hebrew. It’s about King David, it’s from an ancient synagogue in Gaza. This is our history, this place is ours, we belong to this place. I hope we are there we will return in peace”he said.