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Shalom everyone,
Once again the siren went off in Ashkelon everyone in the Nizhon (victory) restaurant reluctantly got up from their plates of food to go to the safe room at the back to wait for the rocket to fall. It would have made a terrible mess if it fell in the restaurant; the delicious calf’s leg soup would have been splashed all over the table, the chicken livers would have gone flying, the chips would have scattered and so on. One couldn’t blame the diners for being concerned. But all was okay; apparently the grad rocket landed harmlessly in the middle of the street and just made a big hole in the ground.
Ashkelon is only about 5 miles from the border of the Gaza strip. The Nizahon restaurant is located in the Herzl str. Shopping mall in a part of Ashkelon once known as Majdal, where the Egyptian army had its headquarters in the War of Independence.
As long as Egypt stayed in Majdal they were operating in accordance with the Partition Plan of Nov 1947 whereby all the area from Yavneh, about 8 km north of Ashdod to Rafah, about 20 km South of Gaza city, was to be part of an Arab state.
Had an agreement between Egypt and Israel to cease fire here, been signed then the Arabs would have realized the partition plan and all this area would have been an Arab state.
However an agreement wasn’t signed because the Egyptian decided to conquer more than the share of land allotted to the new Arab state (whom they purported to be helping to establish) and proceeded to conquer all the territory East of Majdal as far as Jerusalem.
This was in contravention of the Partition Plan, because the area East of Majdal, as far as Jerusalem was to be part of the Jewish State. Egypt’s 10000 men strong Army in fact really managed to conquer this territory but were stopped at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
The Israeli army in fact trapped them in the Faluja Pocket, today the modern city of Kiriat Gat. The Israeli army then generously allowed them to leave this area and to retreat to Gaza City.
The Arab inhabitants of all the villages in this area had enthusiastically cooperated with the Egyptians and were thus forced to leave with the Egyptian Army. This is how they came to be inhabitants of Gaza and how the Gaza strip was formed.
The limits to the area were now changed by war; instead of the Arab state extending from Yavneh to Rafah, as stated in the Partition Plan, Israel’s conquest of Ashdod and Ashkelon resulted in the area being fixed by the terms set at the end of the war of Independence.
This meant that the Arab area was set as the area between South of kibbutz Yad Mordecai and Rafah. This became known as the Gaza Strip.
The Arab inhabitants of Faluja, Majdal and many other villages en route to Jerusalem accompanied the Egyptian Army to Gaza. The Gaza strip then became part of the sovereign area of Egypt. Egypt should have allowed the Arabs there in 1948 to establish a state as specified in the Partition Plan and as Egypt had, apparently promised the Arabs.
Instead Egypt chose to use the newly formed Arab Gaza strip as an area for launching attacks against Israel.
For more than 60 years Egypt did nothing to promote the development of the inhabitants, instead she kept the population there in a miserable situation of refugees and promoted the idea that the miserable situation of the inhabitants of Gaza was the fault of Israel. This of course was useful to Egypt’s plans to eventually wipe out Israel.
The inhabitants of Gaza, encouraged by Egypt and the rest of the Arab world, cherished the hope of avenging themselves of the Israelis who they blame for their flight and their subsequent miserable plight. The desire for revenge consumes the Arabs of Gaza, nourishing flames of hatred for Israel that finally burst into the vicious attacks launched by Hamas with the encouragement of the Arabs of Gaza who see them as the best instrument for vengeance against Israel.
The attacks of the Egyptian Fedayeen after the 1948 war were mainly launched from Gaza. Between 1948 and 1956 (the Sinai campaign) they managed to kill more than 1000 Israelis and terrorizing many others, by penetrating deep into the heart of Israel. Those attacks were the main reason for Israel’s conquest of Gaza in that war. After a few weeks Israel withdrew in the hope that the attacks would stop at least for several years.
In fact the attacks did stop until 1967 when Egypt again decided to use Gaza as a launching point for its “final war” against Israel. Once again revenge smoldering in the hearts of inhabitants of Gaza was exploited by Egypt who successfully built up its army of attack in Gaza.
Once again Israel conquered Gaza. This time Israel ruled Gaza and tried to develop the area into a successful economic entity. There was a good measure of success and Gaza became quite a pleasant place to visit. I even took tourists there when I first became a tour guide and drank coffee, ate sugar cane, roamed the local shuk and breathed in the atmosphere of a thriving town.
I took my kids there and showed them the interesting mowasis (a track of land about 1/8 of an acre in size dug deep into the soft, rich soil to reach the water table. In this fertile soil every kind of fruit and vegetable was grown) this was the traditional form of agriculture of the people of South Gaza.
This phenomenon of deep top soil makes it possible to dig the very deep tunnels used for smuggling weapons and other goods. Apparently this is much more profitable than growing vegetables.
The real solution to the weapons smuggling problem is to encourage agriculture instead of smuggling. If the Gazans used the mawasis for agriculture they wouldn’t have a food shortage and wouldn’t be dependent on Israel or Egypt for food.
Of course only a sympathetic regime would encourage agriculture. Hamas isn’t by any means a sympathetic regime and uses the Gazan’s lust for revenge and natural ambition for getting rich in the same way that Egypt used to do and to encourage weapons smuggling.
The desire of the people for revenge keeps the people of Gaza loyal to Hamas. They see Hamas as the organization that will achieve revenge against Israel and will eventually make them rich. Certainly many of the rich Arabs of Gaza owe their fortunes to Hamas who has impoverished the local people, making them ideal cannon fodder for their war against Israel and enlisting their help in smuggling weapons and other goods and food which make the warlords of Gaza rich. Instead they could be independent, growing their own food and operating a viable economy, co-operating with Israel.
In the next few days I intend putting pictures of Majdal (Migdal) Ashkelon on my picture page. It, like Gaza is full of refugees; from Russia, Morrocco, Ethiopia and many other countries. They came there with very little possessions and they have suffered as much as any Arab but instead of wallowing in misery and cherishing vengeance to their persecutors they live full, happy lives.
Ashkelon is an inviting place to visit. Don’t miss an opportunity if you can manage it to enjoy a great meal at Nizahon restaurant and many others and other places of culture, religion and entertainment. If you want you can still visit the mosque of Majdal which still stands in all its glory as an interest part of the shopping mall.
Please visit again to see pictures of Ashkelon, they should be up by tomorrow.
Wishing you a great no news day
Yours truly
Leon
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