Chapter Thirteen |The Destruc�on of Gush Ka�f 4 3 1 2 180 181 In Kerem Atzmona - some residents came out wearing a yellow star of david on their clothes, and their hands raised up. The images published in the media were shocking, and were burned into the public consciousness as one of the most difficult images of the evacua�on. In Neve Dekalim, the largest se�lement, a final residents' mee�ng was held on Wednesday morning. Everyone gathered in the Yemenite synagogue, read chapters of the Psalms and cried. Rabbi Yigal Kaminetzky wanted to perform the mourning ritual of ren�ng his garment ('Kri'aa'), but the crowd asked to postpone it, s�ll hopeful and holding on to the strong faith that a change may ensue. Rabbi Eliakim Tzadok, the rabbi of that synagogue, said that they are like Abraham and Isaac on the way to the Akeda (the Binding of Isaac) - one eye cries for the blasphemy of God given the uproo�ng of se�lements, and the heart rejoices for withstanding the ordeal. By the end of the day, most of the residents were uprooted. On Thursday, the 13th of Av, five se�lements were evacuated: Kfar Darom, Netzer Hazani, Shirat HaYam, Kfar Yam and Gan Or. In Kfar Darom, a persistent struggle was waged on the roof of the synagogue against the IDF troops and the police, a�emp�ng to convey the message that Kfar Darom shall not be handed easily and generate an image of ba�le that would be burned into the na�onal consciousness, without crossing the red line of physical violence against the evacuators. This struggle became a focal point for the media. While the soldiers and police were trying to evacuate the dozens of youngsters who had barricaded themselves on the roof, they informed the media that the barricaders poured acid on the IDF soldiers. The news spread like wildfire, delegi�mizing the evacuees and confirming the concerns that prevailed during the period before the evacua�on regarding the violent and dangerous behavior of the se�lers. Given that rumor, the rabbis went up the roof to bring the fight to an end. A�er the rabbis, came the police officers, and contrary to the agreement with the rabbis, they started arres�ng the youngsters, without anyone preven�ng them from doing so.42 Eran Sternberg, spokesman of Gush Ka�f in those days, saw with his own eyes. what had happened, and this is how he described it: I was on the roof and saw everything. Even when I was on the roof, I witnessed responsible and disciplined young people, graduates and even soldiers of elite units under the command of Col. Moshe Leshem, from the organiza�on "Gamla shall never fall again"; these guys had boundaries and they knew very well what was forbidden and what was allowed, true heroes. In his report, Nissim Keinan, a news reporter for Reshet Bet (radio sta�on), broadcasted the conclusions of the formal debriefing on that ma�er, and advised that there was no use of acid during that incident. The burnning sensa�on the officers felt resulted from the water that contained large amounts of blue dye. The police sprayed tons of water and tons of blue paint on the protesters to be able to iden�fy them a�er they got off the roof (to this day, I keep my tassel from the incident. It is all died blue ...). The roof was filled with blue water, which the boys poured back on the police officers. The concentra�on of blue dye in the water, which was mixed by the police forces, was high and caused a burnning sensa�on.43 In January 2006, Channel 10 (TV) published that during the police inspec�on, no traces of caus�c soda or acid were found on the Kfar Darom police officers' uniforms. Following that exposé, many MKs, led by Michael Eitan, called the affair a "Blood Libel" and called on the A�orney General, Menachem (Meni) Mazuz, to drop dozens of indictments against right-wing figures and establish an Inves�ga�ve Commi�ee. 44 The residents of Kfar Darom arranged mee�ngs between the soldiers who came to evacuate and the bereaved and injured families. In every house, the soldiers were given an in-depth explana�on of the extent of the hardship. A�er a farewell ceremony in the dark Shalva Synagogue, the bereaved families were the last to leave at the end of the day, sobbing and hugging each other. The last baby born in Gush Ka�f - son of Meir and Orit Bareli, and grandson of Rabbi Kaminetzky - was carried out with them. The baby was born early Wednesday morning and had the privilege of being at home for a few hours.45 The residents of Netzer Hazani set fire to the se�lement's gates on the morning of the evacua�on to prevent soldiers from entering. S�ll, the military tractor broke through the gate, and the soldiers entered and went door to door. Later, the residents took the Torah scrolls to the house of the late Rabbi Arama, the respected rabbi of the se�lement, who was killed a few years earlier in a shoo�ng a�ack in Gush Ka�f. There, they held a farewell ceremony from the late rabbi, the murdered and deceased residents, and the place itself. A�er the ceremony and the ritualis�c rent of their garments (a sign of mourning - 'Kri'aa'), they boarded the buses on their way to Jerusalem.46 Yehuda Bashari, who hoisted the flag on the se�lement's naturaliza�on day, was also the person who took it down during this farewell ceremony.47 Hundreds of illegal guests in Shirat HaYam burned �res and blocked the road before the army troops. A military bulldozer ex�nguished the flames, and hundreds of soldiers started evacua�ng the residents who barricaded themselves in their homes. The Itzhaki family of Kfar Yam barricaded itself on the roof of the house, with the father holding an M-16 rifle. A�er long and tedious nego�a�ons, everyone was evacuated without arrests. The se�lement of Gan Or was also evacuated on Thursday, when the eleven families and illegal residents who remained there, le� the synagogue and walked towards the gate, holding the Torah scrolls in their hands. 1 A fire during the evacua�on 2 The Bre� family leaves their home in Kfar Darom 3 Evacuees and containers during the evacua�on - chaos rules 4 Two evacuees hugging
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