1 2 3 5 4 118 119 Chapter Eight | Security In Israel, reac�ons changed from day to day. The ini�al reac�on was "You can deal with some kids who throw stones, but if they throw Molotov cocktails..." When Molotov cocktails became part of the rou�ne, the officers said: You can live with that, but if they shoot..." And so it was un�l the shoo�ngs also became rou�ne.9 The lives of Gush Ka�f residents changed abruptly. Shopping in Pales�nian ci�es and visits to workers' homes had stopped, and Arab peddlers were not allowed to enter the se�lements and sell their produce. The entry of Arab workers was carefully examined, and procedures were changed. Driving on the roads became dangerous, first due to stone throwing and later due to Molotov cocktails. Yet, the loss of lives suffered by the se�lers aggravated the situa�on more than anything else. With the increased a�acks, the number of visitors to Gush Ka�f, including family members, decreased, making life in Gush Ka�f very difficult. The first vic�m from the se�lers of the Gaza Strip region was Avigdor Dahari from Moshav Ka�f. The car accident that happened on the 2nd of Kislev 5750 (11/30/1989), where Avigdor was killed, turned out to be planned - a drive-by a�ack with the sole inten�on of murdering Jews. From that moment on, the residents realized they were in a state of war, and the rules had changed. The in�fada led to a completely new reality in Gush Ka�f. Difficul�es that were unknown in the past have become part of the residents' rou�ne. The opera�onal logs of the regional council were filled with such messages like: residents' vehicles were rammed at the Al-Bureij intersec�on, at the Shejaiya intersec�on and near Kfar Darom; Arabs uprooted 54 guava trees in Kfar Yam; Arabs sabotaged the greenhouses of Netzer Hazani, destroyed nylon sheets and stole equipment; stones were thrown at the children's bus on its way to Gush Ka�f. As �me passed, these messages increased and became rou�ne. Due to the massive stone-throwing each morning, the council had to decide whether sending the children to school would put their lives at risk. It was not an easy decision. In addi�on to these hardships, there were existen�al difficul�es, such as developing tourism and recrui�ng more incoming residents.10 The secret of Gaza The Security Department will remain the secret of Gaza. A body established not as an alterna�ve to the army, but provided an alterna�ve to the army. It developed new figh�ng pa�erns and pulled the army on its heels. The State of Israel does not like to talk about it, most of the ci�zens of Israel are unaware of it. Of course, without the army it was impossible to hold on to Gush Ka�f. On the other hand, an army is not built for guerrilla warfare. Situa�on descrip�on: The Head of Council declared that all roads remain open at any cost, even though it was clear there would be casual�es. At that point, I could either resign or understand that the Head of the Council saw considera�ons beyond security. Today, I can appreciate his considera�ons. I could only see the security considera�on. I should have realized that I was a security adviser to the Head of the Council and not the decision maker. The decision to keep all axes open came at a cost, but in the general view, it was the correct decision. Ami Shaked The Council's Security Department undergoes change Given the new reality, the security department in the council has turned from a body that only provided services to a significant body - a figh�ng force capable of responding to medical, fire, rescue, and combat events, as well as circumstances that combined all these components. As such, the division prepared the se�lements for combat in terms of defensive infrastructure and training the residents in various combat needs. The idea was that no one would be�er protect home and family than the owners of these homes and the members of these families. This concept, which has proven itself over �me, integrated hundreds of volunteers into the ac�vity and connected them to the opera�ng systems based on the department's training and the residents who volunteered. The variety of tasks and capabili�es of the Security Department in the Gaza Strip as a unique body that offered responses in combat, medical, fire and rescue opera�ons was a model that was only recently adopted in the State of Israel for emergency opera�ons.11 Governmental ac�vity during the beginning of the First In�fada focused on protec�ng the access roads. Some residents replaced the windshields of their vehicles with stone-proof glass with the help of the state. Becoming stronger in the shadow of the in�fada Upon taking office at the beginning of 1988, the Head of the Regional Council, Zvi Handel, faced the issues surrounding the absorp�on and dwellings for incoming residents because - who would come to live where stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails, violence, and casual�es constantly make headlines? Handel sprung into ac�on. First, he convened the en�re council plenum and delivered a 'Zionist' speech: "There is one thing that will make people come here - that they see all of us with smiling faces. People are drawn to places that are fun to live in: places with good educa�on system, beau�ful lawns, tourism and more. And that is our job - to show that it's fun living here." The next step was a long series of mee�ngs with each absorp�on commi�ee of each individual se�lement. "Consider you are now candidates for absorp�on," he said to each such commi�ee - "What do we say to those who want to join our se�lement? He encouraged and energized them with inexhaus�ble op�mism: "So, go ahead, go and start telling the truth, that there is no place as good to live in as your se�lement. There is a great society here." Handel did not only talk the talk. The regional council was deeply involved in the whole absorp�on front, in finding employment solu�ons and also in suppor�ng agricultural issues. Handel summoned experts to prepare a plan for extending the popula�on in the region, which would incorporate all ancillary details, such as dwellings and sources of employment. 1 Soldiers in Neve Dekalim - part of the local landscape 2 The armored vehicle in which Netzarim residents traveled from the checkpoint to their homes during the In�fada 3 Ami Shaked, the Council's Security Coordinator, and the residents of Kfar Darom at a demonstra�on on the eve of the disengagement 4 The fence that separated Neve Dekalim industrial zone from Khan Yunis 5 The bus in which the children of Kfar Darom traveled to school, a�er the a�ack
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