Israel vs. Hamas – A Gedera Resident’s Perspective
Posted on January 12, 2009
Filed Under Antisemitism, Ashdod, Fatah, Freedom, Freedom from Religion, Freedom of Religion, Gaza, Gaza Strip, Gedera, Grad missiles, Hamas, Hamas terror in Gaza, Infidel-o-Phobia, International, Islamic intolerance of other religions, Ismamic terror, Israel, Kassam missiles, News, Rechovot, Religious intolerance, Terrorism, War, Zionist Entity, arrogance, brutality, culture of violence, hatred, hatred of Jews, intransigence, islam, judaism, political intransigence, religious hatred, terrorists, violence, violence against children | 4 Comments
[Only one Hamas rocket, so far, was enough to alter the daily routine. The author of this post seems more inconvenienced than scared or terrorized until you read carefully between the lines...]
Before I begin, let me give you a little background information as to the history of Gedera . According to Wikipedia, Gedera was founded in 1884 by members of the Bilu group near the ruins of a biblical Israelite city. Those ruins were thought to have been the ruins of HaGdera (The fenced city) or another biblical city called Gderot (fences), and therefore the name Gedera (Fenced city) was chosen.
Today, it is believed that Ha’Gdera and Gderot were further to the east, near the slopes of the Judean mountains, and that the ruins here are of even greater biblical antiquity, the city of Ekron. Recent excavations in the Gedera area of Tel Qatra have revealed artifacts from the Middle Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, and Iron Age. In addition, remains of a more recent Muslim cemetery have also been found.
In essence , Gedera is the second oldest “modern” settlement in Israel, after Rishon Le Tzion. Modern Gedera is often overlooked by commuters traveling by bus from Be’er Sheva in the South, to Tel-Aviv in the center of the country. Recently, though, there has been a rapid expansion, with many arrivals making it their new home. Recently finished access roads make commuting to Tel-Aviv a viable option for hi-tech workers, this coupled with the rising standard of living perfectly suits new “immigrants” from Hertzlyia and Ashdod .
Geographically, we are ideally placed between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem, though Gedera is still regarded by some as a “sleepy backwater ” village within commuting distance of Rechovot and Ashdod. We are about 40 kilometers, or about 25 miles from the Gaza border and have, always felt safe from the ravages of war that have paralyzed normal life in the cities further south of us .
With the current war against Hamas, that too has changed. Gedera residents have always been sensitive to the suffering of the citizens of Sderot and Ashkelon, and the mantra “there go I, but for the grace of G-d ” is often heard. Since this conflict begun, the Iranian supplied rockets and missiles have been creeping up ever so closer… and with them a real fear that our lives would mirror those of the embattled town of Sderot .
Thus it was last week, when a Grad rocket slammed into Gedera sending the community into shock – “we’re too far away to be hit, surely ” was heard over and over again. Schools, kindergarten were immediately suspended. Parents now had to juggle having to make special arrangements for their kids while somehow maintaining their daily work schedule. Gedera suddenly became a town living on the edge. People are noticeably nervous, they leave their homes only when absolutely necessary. The parks are empty, simply because there is no place to run to if a siren is heard – here we have the “luxury” of a minute’s warning to get to our security room, or shelters- for some, this still not enough – though we can’t forget that in Sderot, the warning siren gives you just 15 seconds to find shelter!!
The kids stay at home and receive their homework via internet which keeps most of them busy for a few hours, at best. Then boredom hits, tempers become frayed and the realization of the true cost of the war sinks in. Over the last few days local municipalities and organizations started to mobilize some sort of relief for the affected families and to this end places of entertainment have been giving sizable discounts to the inhabitants of the conflict zone. One day it’s off to the Ramat Gan safari, the next day to the Mini Israel attraction near Latrun and so on, but… all this costs money however small the amount.
Reality, however, soon wakes us up to the potential danger as we return to Gedera and talk becomes a muttering. The radio gets turned from music to all news, so that we too can hear the warning siren… As I returned from a trip with my eldest daughter, a few days ago, we were met by a siren followed by a hollow “boom” in the background, we instinctively ran to our apartment safety room, making sure not to use the elevator… just in case !! This has become part of the daily routine for us now. Today my youngest one attended “Gan” (kindergarten), for the first time in over a week. The kids were hustled into the shelter and greeted with muted smiles – “it’s all just a game !! ” A game… amusing only to Hamas, perhaps.
Now I get to clean the apartment for the first time in several days, I am “home alone” with the radio turned to the news channel, one ear listening for the siren that tells me to “run for your life ” and I finally begin to understand in my own flesh the true magnitude of life that the citizens of Sderot have been enduring, this very same disruption to their daily routines, for the last 8 years.
Yes, life is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and dangerous that is precisely why I believe Operation Cast Lead is necessary and should be seen through to the bitter end. We are doing the region a favour by cleansing the area of the most despicable form of Islamic terror, a terror that refuses to recognize any form mutual peace with any of its neighbors, including fellow Palestinians as we saw in the bloody battles between Hamas and Fatah in the summer of 2007.
[The Author is a British immigrant who has been living in Israel since 1988, and Gedera since 2002.]
Comments
4 Responses to “Israel vs. Hamas – A Gedera Resident’s Perspective”
Support our site, vote for us!
Follow Us
Give us some kudos!
Jrants
Feedburner
Track who’s online
Technorati
-
The American Conservative
Webrings
At last , an eye witness account of the horror that the missile barrages from Gaza bring .It has the authenticity of someone who is living in fear , both for himself , his family ,and those around him .
It is also a prayer for an impossible peace , a peace that could start tomorrow – if only there was the will .
As was mentioned in the article , Gedera has only been in the “front line” for a short time , and yet there is an appreciation , dare I say ,admiration for those who have suffered countless times more for the past 8 years .
If the battleground was the U.S ,or a European state instead of Israel ,retaliation would come without condemnation , but whoever said the U.N “played” on a level pitch to begin with ?!!.
[...] Submitted By: Cheat-Seeking Missiles – Freedom – Israel vs. Hamas – A Gedera Resident’s Perspective [...]
[...] Submitted By: Cheat-Seeking Missiles – Freedom – Israel vs. Hamas – A Gedera Resident’s Perspective [...]
[...] Fifth place with 2/3 point – (T*) – Freedom – Israel vs. Hamas – A Gedera Resident’s Perspective [...]