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Bracing for the storm on the border

Southern Israel is battening down the hatches for a storm that is truly preventable

Jun 8, 2018, 8:19 AM

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Palestinian protesters fly a kite with a burning rag dangling from its tail to during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, April 20, 2018. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian protesters fly a kite with a burning rag dangling from its tail to during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, April 20, 2018. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)

All day yesterday, I had the association of how in Florida, when they know a hurricane is about to hit, people hammer up their windows with wood to prepare for the storm.

And now, as the new dawn rises, I tally up the information I amassed:

25 fires yesterday, alone…..
Israeli Air Force doing training for bombing missions in Gaza…..
IAF dropping leaflets over Gaza warning Gazans NOT to go to the fence.
Hamas calling upon more Gazans than ever to join violent protests at the fence, on the last Friday of Ramadan……
Reports of fence protesters planning to wear concentration camp pajamas…
People close to me taking the weekend off to get away…
People asking if we’ve closed our saferoom windows….
Estimates from the news that Hamas are preparing to launch rockets deep into Israel, in response to casualties incurred by their use of civilians as human shields….

This is no act of God.
This is no hurricane.
This is something that can be prevented.

Everyone says that neither of the sides want a war… so why do I feel as if I am in the eye of a storm that is accelerating towards us?

Where are my leaders and what is my government doing to prevent this man-made storm from hitting before it is too late?

For more impressions of life on the border, joing our Facebook group.

To see what people from our region are trying to do about it, join us in the Movement for the Future of the Western Negev

About the Author

The writer (aka "Zioness on the Border" on social media) is a mother and a grandmother who since 1975 has been living and raising her family on Kibbutz Nirim along the usually paradisiacal, sometimes hellishly volatile border with the Gaza Strip. She founded and moderates a 14K-strong Facebook group named "Life on the Border with Gaza". The writer blogs about the dreams and dramas that are part of border kibbutznik life. Until recently, she could often be found photographing her beloved region, which is exactly what she had planned to do at sunrise, October 7th. Fortunately, she did not go out that morning. As a result, she survived the murderous terror infiltrations of that tragic day, hunkering down in her safe room with her 33-year-old son for 11 terrifying hours. So many of her friends and neighbors, though, were not so lucky. More than she can even count. Adele was an educator for 38 years in her regional school, and has been one of the go-to voices of the Western Negev when escalations on the southern border have journalists looking for people on the ground. On October 7, her 95% Heaven transformed into 100% Hell. Since then she has given a multitude of interviews, going abroad on seven missions in support of Israel and as an advocate for her people. In addition to fighting the current wave of lies and blood libels about the Jewish state, she is raising money to help restore their Paradise so that members of her kibbutz can return to their homes on the border, where they can begin to heal. If you wish to learn more about how you can help her and her community return home, please feel free to drop her a line.

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