Ghajar residents furious over Israeli withdrawal
It was completely and totally predictable that the residents of Ghajar would be unhappy about having half their town turned over to Lebanon (Hat Tip: Michael Totten).
The 2,300 residents of the village, which straddles the Israel-Lebanon border, are having difficulty adjusting to images of the new reality to which they will be subjected and expressed rage at the fact that no one has asked them their opinion on the matter.Read the whole thing.
"Unfortunately, as usual, we are getting updates on what fate has in store for us through the media," Najib Khatib, spokesman for the village council, told Ynet.
"No government source has informed us of such a move, which will directly influence our lives and the fate of our children."
Khatib lamented the atmosphere existing in the village since the IDF's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. "We live under siege," he said.
"During the Second Lebanon War we absorbed heavy property damage, and despite the fact that we are Israeli citizens and pay taxes to the state, there are residents who have not received compensation for the damages caused by the war until this very day, in contrast to other residents of northern Israel."
Council Chairman Ahmed Fatli met with members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee recently and enlightened them on the difficulties faced by residents of the village. He relayed fears that Ghajar would come under the authority of the UN force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, fears that will be realized if Netanyahu's plan is green-lighted.
"We will not separate between family members," Khatib insisted. "The Berlin Wall fell, but now they want to establish a new wall here. Our fate must remain linked to that of the Golan Heights, since we were conquered together with it from Syria, and some of the older residents still hold bills of land ownership issued in Syria."
If I were them, I'd go protest outside the US embassy in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu is just bowing to the Americans on this one. He doesn't have the you-know-whats to say no to Obama.
Labels: Barack Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Ghajar, Hezbullah, UNIFIL
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:03 PM
4 Comments:
I just don't understand any of this. Why bow down to the US at all, and especially now, with a very Israel-friendly Congress due soon.
There is something in the wind - the abandoning of Ghajar residents and the possibility of abandoning the Jordan Vally. For fantasies of the Left. For peace that means death. For nothing. There is no there there. I'm assuming the residents of Ghajar will soon have visitors from Syria's 'kiruv' movement. May G-d protect them..
The Druze of Ghajar are being abandoned to their fate.
Exactly what the Israeli Left has in mind for the revanants.
What could go wrong indeed
I'm quite pesimistic, and for what i'm seeing, if Israel continues this path, it will be doomed.
I'm speaking from the diaspora (as an outsider who's not there). I know that most of the Israelis (jewish / druze / christians) want peace, but i think that peace at all cost is not peace at all.
it was proved with gaza disengagement that giving territories to the palestinians it's the worst mistake Israel can make, and it's doing it over and over again. In my eyes, the actions of the actual Israel looks like a senile old man, who forgets what just happen and is repeating the action over and over again.
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