Israel-Hamas War: Those Who Stayed

Three months to the day after the attack on October 7, some chose to stay in Israel, like this Frenchman who lives near Jerusalem.

Marco Sarrabia has lived near Jerusalem since the late 1980s. A qualified engineer, the Frenchman works in a community factory where he lives, on the hills west of the city:

“There is industry, tourism and agriculture. We live from all these branches. These are self-managed, old-fashioned communities. All the resources go to a common fund. They are distributed from egalitarian manner between members. It’s like a consortium of companies.”

Here, everyone pays their salary to the community, which takes care of the children’s education, up to the bachelor’s level. Civilians are also increasingly involved in their own security, at a time when the country faces major security challenges.

Parliament has relaxed the criteria for obtaining gun permits. Result: men and women, young and old, in three months, sales to individuals have exploded in gunstores.

Gulf War and Intifada

Arriving here in 1989, a long-time member of the Labor Party, once a candidate in the legislative elections, Marco Sarrabia has experienced numerous crises since his installation. He testifies that he will not return to France whatever the situation in his host country, to which he now feels closest: “I had to face the Gulf War and the Intifada, the second Lebanese War. I think I got past that, and I never thought of returning to France.”

For lack of anything better, the UN has appointed a coordinator for humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza. The former Dutch minister, Sigrid Kaag, will take office this Monday, January 8 in the Palestinian enclave.

Go further

Find this column in the app, on the website and in the international mobility magazine “Journal des Français à l’avenir.fr”