Evacuation of Settlers Haunts Israeli Right
While diplomatic negotiations are again underway in Washington, the Israeli right vows never to repeat the mistake of withdrawing from the Gaza Strip.
At the entrance to the Nitzan caravan site, I stop by the shop of Esther Buskillah. I had first met her when she was living with her family in the small settlement of Nisanit in northern Gush Katif, the block of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip evacuated in 2005. Like all the other 8,000 residents of the settlement, Buskillah was evacuated by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and sent to live in Nitzan, a huge caravan site set up on the sand dunes of the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.
It's noon and the sweltering heat has driven away the inhabitants of the temporary settlement. In her little shop, Buskillah sells gifts and souvenirs to foreign and local tourists. There is not a soul out there in the scorching midday heat. Opposite the shop, there is a caravan turned into a museum commemorating the history of Gush Katif.
