The evacuees are not refugees
The Zionist ethos is still alive. "No nation shall retreat from the trenches of its life," wrote the poet Nathan Alterman. There are those who would say that the turbulence of the last few days has had Israelis discard that ethos. They say that those in Gaza area communities, who have had to bear the brunt of the storm, are undermining its very foundations.
But that is a flawed assessment. Yes, the Gaza area communities are under constant fire; yes, the heavy shelling has resulted in an exodus from that area. But this will all end soon. After the Israel Defense Forces gets the job done the Jewish people will emerge from the trenches, having stayed there all along.
Alterman's statement has been repeatedly challenged. In 1920, Revisionist Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky said the Battle of Tel Hai should have never taken place. He said the desolate hilltop was not worth the effort. Did he withdraw from the trenches of the Jewish people? No, he erred. He would eventually glorify the story of Tel Hai by establishing Beitar.
Gush Etzion's women and children were evacuated during the War of Independence. They were spared the fate of the captive men, who were brutally murdered. The Arabs have conveniently left that gruesome episode out of their history books, but the Jews too, have not kept the memory of this affair alive. The story of the fatherless children from Gush Etzion was later told by Professor Emeritus Amia Lieblich in her captivating book.
During that war, the Jews of southern Tel Aviv were also evacuated. They took refuge in the northern parts of the city until the Irgun liberated Jaffa. As there were no state-run social services at the time, a family from the Ezra neighborhood moved in with us for a few months. No one considered that "a retreat from our nation's trenches."
Yes, the fall and subsequent surrender of Nitzanim was a source of much controversy during that war and its aftermath. And residents of the Golan Heights communities were temporarily relocated when the 1973 Yom Kippur War broke out. But does that amount to "retreating from the trenches of our nations." Hardly. That is one big fairy tale.
During the 2006 Second Lebanon War, residents of Israel's north hit the road en masse to escape the rocket fire. That, too, was the right thing to do, because the authorities were in disarray and failed to cater to their needs.
Gaza border communities have found themselves in a harsh predicament. Hamas has been firing indiscriminately on innocent civilians. A 4-year-old died on Friday. This national tragedy has once again triggered a debate over the merits of an evacuation.
As far as I am concerned, there is a pretty straightforward answer to this dilemma: to those who feel they have the stamina to stay, more power to you! To those who want to leave until calm sets in, go right ahead. No shame or guilt should be associated with such a move. It's ok.
Having said all that, there are three things we need to address right away:
• The government must accommodate those who have been internally displaced. Those who have left the Gaza area are not refugees, they should not end up as vagabonds who helplessly travel our nation's roads. They have a government that can address their plight.
• At least three or four ministers from the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet must temporarily relocate to one of the Gaza area communities. In fact, they should have set up shop a long time ago and made it their second home. They should be based there, only seldom leaving. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon -- who has shown his courage in a host of clandestine operations -- opted to forgo a visit to Nahal Oz on Saturday because the Shin Bet voiced its objection. I think MK Shelly Yachimovich was right when she said Ya'alon should have overruled his security detail. Creating the right visual, however symbolic, is important, no matter how risk-averse you are.
• Israeli men living in central Israel are now duty-bound to rally around the flag: We need several hundred fit and able individuals to establish temporary residence in the Gaza area communities and serve as caretakers for the vacant homes. They could also help out by manning the gates to the communities and patrolling the perimeter fences. The army can use their help until it gets the job done.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו