7 8 6 3 4 5 2 1 154 155 Chapter Eleven | Tourism and Industry Jeep tours on the golden sands were an essen�al and central part of Gush Ka�f's tourism program. Prearranged visits to the Arab neighbors were also organized to learn about the 'Muassi Agriculture' up close. Next to the lake - featuring a tourism and boa�ng focal point - visitors could also ride horses on the farm or 'Gideon's Donkeys'7 in Gush Ka�f stables. The 'Dekel Sands' restaurant, adjacent to the lake, added a gastronomic dimension to the tourist region. Some other restaurants also opened on the beaches and in Neve Dekalim. The holiday resort was adjacent to the lake, and Midreshet HaDarom educa�onal center that was located there provided the ac�vi�es and guided tours. Not far from there, an airstrip was built to facilitate tourists' arrival and increase traffic volume in Gush Ka�f. In the first years, the tours in Gush Ka�f included the ancient synagogue in Gaza, 'Dekel Avshalom' in the Yamit region, the city of Yamit and the se�lements around it. A�er the evacua�on of Yamit and the outbreak of the First In�fada, tourist a�rac�ons were downsized, and Gush Ka�f residents turned to develop the beaches. On the vast and clean stretch of beach, they set up well-arranged shade pavilions, changing rooms and showers. They also offered tourists kayaking or colliding tube water ac�vi�es on the north shore and diverse restaurants. Private individuals also set up eclec�c a�rac�ons, such as the medicinal plant extracts of Avraham Berebi from Gadid or nurseries that cul�vated unique plants. The region served as a hub for various celebra�ons, like weddings on the beach at sunset, Shabbat for groups in the various educa�onal centers, and tours of Gush Ka�f and its different industries. The beaches have always been the key a�rac�on of Gush Ka�f. Being the southernmost access to the Mediterranean in Israel, they offered a broader beachfront with pris�ne white sands. There were two beaches in the south: One - Ashalim Beach near Rafiah Yam and Pe'at Sadeh. This beach also operated on Saturdays and holidays,8 and to prevent 'Desecra�on of the Sabbath' it employed an Arab life guard. The other - Tmarim Beach in the resort area near the hotel. That beach was divided between a mixed beach, and separate beaches for women and men. On the seashore, south of the Palm Beach Hotel, the "Pagoda" was constructed- a special structure that included a restaurant on the upper floor and a facility for fishermen and marine ac�vi�es on the lower floor. The 'Blue Terrace' - a restaurant with a special atmosphere, was constructed north of the hotel. In the northern part of the region, the residents enjoyed the Shikma Beach, which also a�racted guests from the en�re region and even outside of it. Restaurants were set up next to it, where one could dine on freshly caught fish, taken out of the water a few minutes before the meal. Thus, some of the residents of the northern part of the region made a living from tourism in the area.9 Tourism took a painful hit due to the challenging security situa�on in the area. The number of vaca�oners decreased, restaurants were closed, and the tourism industry was almost eliminated. 1 The horse farm near Ka�f Lake 2 Shikma Beach 3 The Gush Ka�f helipad inaugura�on ceremony 4 Jeep trip in the dunes of Gush Ka�f 5 Sunset at Ka�f Beach 6 Guests at the restaurant in Gush Ka�f 7 The pagoda building on the beach 8 ATV trip
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