Brutal Ethnic Cleansing in Gaza (2005): Photos
Well, that got your attention didn't it?
So much talk of Israel's "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians, I thought it was time for a reminder of the only
actual ethnic cleansing which
has taken place since the Israel war of independence in 1948.
And it wasn't Palestinian Arabs that were "cleansed" - it was Jews. And it happened in a town called Gush Katif.
Background
Gush Katif was referred to in the news as a "settlement bloc". In actual fact it was a pleasant seaside resort on the Mediterranean, located on the
coast of the Gaza Strip near the border with the Sinai Desert, and home to about 8,000 men, women and children. Here are some photos of this beautiful
place before the Israeli government, in a desperate attempt at making peace with the Palestinians, ethnically cleansed it of Jews in 2005:
Ethnic Cleansing
In an attempt to appease terrorists in Gaza, and win worldwide favour, Ariel Sharon ordered that Gaza be evacuated in 2005. This process took 7 days
and is a painful chapter in Israeli history. Thousands of ordinary people were dragged from their homes and forced onto crowded buses to be
"resettled" elsewhere in Israel. Four years on, many of them still have no homes and are living in temporary accomodation. Here are some photos of
what is euphemistically referred to as "disengagement":
Aftermath
Here is what was left of Gush Katif after the Jewish presence was removed.
Lots more information out there if people care to search for it. All too often people forget that in the Middle East conflict
there is suffering on
both sides, which is why I wanted to highlight this.
I wasn't paying attention when this happened. It was vaguely in the news, but I didn't connect with the tragedy of the situation at the time.
Next time, I'll be wide awake.
for candy corn 
