5 3 4 1 2 156 157 Chapter Eleven | Tourism and Industry Industry With the development of agriculture, se�lements, educa�on and tourism in Gush Ka�f, industry also began to develop. Part of it was related to the place's natural resources, such as sand quarries, agricultural fer�lizers, a greenhouse produc�on facility, garages, plant extracts, and the juice industry. Later, other factories unrelated to the region's special characteris�cs were erected. They served as a source of employment for the residents and contributed to the area's reputa�on. Among them are a large prin�ng house, a metal industry, a fabric factory, a sewing workshop, carpentry, a technological incubator, so�ware houses and the sugar dough manufacturing business called 'Bar Dough.' Three industrial zones were constructed in Gush Ka�f, mainly in the communal se�lements: The southern industrial zone in Rafih Yam; the central industrial zone in Neve Dekalim; and the northernmost industrial zone in Moshav Ka�f. The area's industrial development was cri�cal due to its distance from Jewish se�lements and the necessity of developing means of produc�on to provide a living for the residents and a�ract addi�onal popula�on. Unlike the agricultural se�lements built by the Jewish Agency, including means of produc�on, the community se�lements were constructed by the Ministry of Housing without any prior thought of employment solu�ons. Residents of the community se�lements approached the Se�lement Division of the Jewish Agency, which responded posi�vely because it saw the establishment of an industry as an employment solu�on, on the one hand, and the beginning of a life of coexistence with the neighboring Arab popula�on, on the other hand. The idea was to establish an industry that would employ Jews and Arabs alike, provide a decent living for the residents and perhaps also lead to a peaceful coexistence through joint work, and so it was. Hundreds of Arab and Jewish laborers worked in the various industrial plants in Gush Ka�f, maintained good rela�ons and supported thousands of people.10 In the southern industrial area of Rafih Yam, there were factories for building materials and blocks, as well as sewing workshops that produced clothing of the ho�est brands in the fashion industry, such as Indian Head (Hebrew brand: Rosh Indiani) and designer Hagit Tasa. The first sewing workshop, established in 1997, belonged to the Cohen family. "It happened by accident," said Nitza Cohen. "My husband engaged in transporta�on, and in one of them he arrived at the Erez checkpoint just when it was under lockdown. No one goes in or out between the Gaza Strip and Israel. It turned out that many prominent fashion houses sent their pre-cut fabrics to be sewn in the Gaza Strip, and when there was a lockdown, goods were not being transferred. They realized that we, in Gush Ka�f, had an advantage. The workers are close and can come to us, and we can take out goods without any problem... And so, the first sewing workshop was established, and later other sewing workshops in Rafiah Yam and in Gan Or. 70 employees from Rafah worked for us. We had good rela�onship with them; salaries were paid on �me; and we keep in touch to this day. Upon the disengagement, the sewing workshop was closed."11 In Neve Dekalim, the central and largest community se�lement, a par�cular industrial area was designated from its incep�on, and most large factories were concentrated there. Its loca�on was adjacent to the city of Khan Yunis. The 'Industrial Buildings' firm (Hebrew: Mivnei Ta'asia) built the first two buildings, housing metal factories, carpentry, a sewing workshop for the defense industry and a prin�ng house. A�er that, private entrepreneurs and Neve Dekalim Economic Company established addi�onal food and metalworks factories, which brought along different entrepreneurs and promising plans for the future. The industrial area had two entrances: One from Neve Dekalim and the other from Khan Yunis. Hundreds of Khan Yunis residents and dozens of Neve Dekalim residents worked in the industrial area and made a decent living. The accelerated industrial boom generated more jobs, and the number of residents naturally increased. Simultaneously, during terrorist a�acks, the industrial area was the first to be hit by shoo�ngs and barrages and, therefore, was also the first to be closed. This greatly disrupted the work and made the rou�ne very difficult. These difficul�es were added to the other hardships that stemmed from the security situa�on—delays in the supply of raw materials or the transfer of goods, power outages and the like. High costs were also associated with the region's distance from the center of Israel, leading to a shortage of professional employees. Therefore, training the exis�ng workers and pu�ng the en�re produc�on on their shoulders was mandatory. Workers' salaries were lower than the salary in the center of Israel, offse�ng expenses and making it easier to cope. A�er the development of the industrial zones, a regional police sta�on and fire sta�on were established, keeping in mind that the place would con�nue to evolve and grow. Since 1987, Rahamim Ben Haim has managed the 'Ka�f Haroshet' factory in the industrial area of Neve Dekalim, which produces metal cabinets. The factory employed 50 Arab workers and 30 Jewish workers. Despite the difficul�es arising from the security situa�on, work con�nued at the factory, according to the 'business as usual' prac�ce. The disengagement decree did not stop produc�on either; The factory moved to Ashkelon where it s�ll operates today.12 Shaya Yaron's garage, also located in the Neve Dekalim industrial zone, was hit many �mes. The garage serviced the private vehicles of Gush Ka�f residents and, over �me, also handled tractors and other agricultural machinery. Arab laborers worked in the garage, but the customers were Jews, mainly local residents. Therefore, its main challenge was the arrival of workers. The garage also served as a mee�ng place for the area's residents while they waited for their cars to be serviced. The place featured much 'grace': Many signed up and paid when they could, and some never paid... To this day, the rela�onship with the Arab workers is preserved, including money transfers. 13 'Dfus Dekel' was among the first businesses established in the industrial zone, ini�ally as a family business of the Ohayon family from Neve Dekalim. The prin�ng press served Gush Ka�f and beyond, and con�nued to develop from year to year. A�er the disengagement, the prin�ng press moved to Ashkelon. Another family business was the Sarousi family So�ware House. 'Pri Ka�f', a natural juice factory, was also located in the industrial area and con�nues producing today. Gush Ka�f Northern Industrial Zone was located in Ka�f, where the 'Bad Cut' factory was established for the produc�on of wet wipes in collabora�on with Moshav Masu'ot Yitzhak. Later on, the factory grew, produced addi�onal products and opened new produc�on lines, including exports abroad. On the eve of disengagement, the successful factory was sold. A fer�lizer factory called 'Flamix' was also established near the nursery - a miracle mixture of coconut fibers used as a growing medium. The factory was remarkably successful and grew into an interna�onal corpora�on with subsidiaries in India, Sri Lanka and Spain. Only Jews worked in these factories, most of them from Gush Ka�f.14 There were also other factories sca�ered in the different se�lements, usually adjacent to houses or greenhouses, mostly connected with agricultural ac�vi�es. For example: In Kfar Darom there were large factories for the marke�ng of insect-free vegetables - 'Bikurei Ka�f' and 'Hasalat.' In Ganei Tal there was a sugar dough factory called 'Bar Dough.' In Gadid, there was a factory for plant extracts which was also integrated into the tourism industry, as well as a sand quarrying plant. The evacua�on from Gush Ka�f eliminated almost all industry that was established, developed and prospered in the region. The industrialist was le� with no alterna�ve land, without most of the workers and with no government support. No alterna�ve industrial zone was constructed, and the meager compensa�on made it impossible to stand up to the compe��on across Israel. Most of the glorious industry had collapsed. Only a few factories moved to a new loca�on and con�nue to exist, some of them even expanded. 1 Decora�ve and ornamental objects store in Netzarim 2 Al-Bad wet-wipes factory in Ka�f 3 The 'Pri-Ka�f' factory in Neve Dekalim 4 Welder at the metal factory in Neve Dekalim 5 An audit of the metal plant
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