Posted on 08/18/2005 1:23:40 PM PDT by Nachum
DEIR Al-BALAH, Gaza Strip - Behind a once lush expanse of date palm and carnation farms, Palestinian farmer Mohammed Bashir climbed onto his roof Thursday to witness the forcible removal of Jewish settlers from Kfar Darom.
Like dozens of his neighbors in this central Gaza town, he watched with mixed emotions as Israeli riot police scuffled with settlers barricaded in a synagogue.
He feels relief because for the first time in years, it is safe for the 42-year-old farmer to be on the roof of his home just 100 yards from the hard-line settlement.
"I'm standing here without any fear that Israelis will shoot at me because their battle today is against themselves," he said.
But Bashir is also bitter. For more than four years, since Palestinian-Israeli violence erupted, he has lived in the direct path of army fire from watchtowers guarding Kfar Darom.
This small patch of ground has seen some of the fiercest fighting since the second Palestinian uprising began in September 2000.
In what has become a Palestinian trademark, dozens of stone-throwing children clashed regularly with Israeli soldiers, and Palestinian militants fought many gunbattles with troops here.
Evidence of the clashes is everywhere. Former farm fields are just sandy desert littered with the remains of demolished greenhouses. Houses are riddled with bullet holes. Only partial structures remain from a row of food shops and a gas station.
He is also angry about all the media attention for distraught settlers being carried out of their communities by Israeli troops.
"In the last four years we were subject to their ugly behavior. Now the world is paying attention to them, watching them crying and screaming when no one paid attention to us when they took our land, killed our children and destroyed our houses," said Bashir, who lost about an acre of land when the army confiscated it to create a buffer zone between Deir Al-Balah and Kfar Darom.
It's payback time for the settlers, he said. "I think that God's justice is being implemented."
Kfar Darom is one of the 21 settlements whose 8,500 residents are being forcibly removed under Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, which is home to 1.3 million Palestinians.
Palestinian leaders hope the pullout will restart the "road map" peace process designed to lead to an independent Palestinian state, although they worry Sharon will try to strengthen Israel's hold on the West Bank, where some 220,000 settlers live among 2.5 million Palestinians.
For his part, Bashir yearns for better times after years of bloodshed and economic hardship.
"I hope that the future will be a promising one because we paid an expensive price, sacrificed much and suffered a lot," he said.
I hope they shot a lot of film for a Before/After movie in about 5 years..
BOO-FREAKIN HOO!!!
As the MSM, the Death Cult of Islam, and Satan laughs.
Palestineans, bitter??
Now I'm sure the kids can all go back to school and the "militants" can get good jobs to support their families and build a peaceful Palistian state.
Ah-ha! And the reason the Israeli army shot in your direction was for gunnery practice? Not too likely.
"What was there before settlers began occupation?"
Egypt
So much for multiculti, Kumbaya diversity. (For some strange reason we don't hear about that from the usual promoters of multi-ethnic utopia when it comes to the Eirab societies. I must not be paying enough attention.)
I don't understand why the jews had to leave. Why can't they live together with the Arabs as they do in other parts of Israel.
If the PA simply took over responsibility from Israel, why can't PA live with other people?
Yeah...I'm sure it was the Israelis sending in the suicide bombers killing innocent children and civilians.
I think if there's one suicide bomber against Israel after they take this land, Israel should reclaim it... plus some.
..................
Bashir will still be whining about Israel ten years from now, while still living in squalor.
Maybe later in the day the situation regaqrding Bashir can be "remedied"..
He is said to have many fathers..
Because they are bloodthirsty, feral , palesimians!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.