Seeking Clarity Near the Gates of Gaza

Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to her.  The Gazites were told,“Samson has come here.” So they circled around and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They kept quiet all night, thinking, “Let us wait until the light of the morning; then we will kill him.”  But Samson lay only until midnight. 

Then at midnight he rose up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.

Judges 16:1-3 NRSVue

I've just finished reading The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope by respected Israeli journalist, Amir Tibon. Tibon writes for Haaretz, a newspaper with the third largest circulation in Israel which has existed for more than a century.  It is widely read by international observers, especially in its English edition, and discussed in the international press. I have attended online seminars offered by Haaretz and found them really worthwhile. 

In this book Tibon offers his perspective as a Jewish Israeli citizen living with his family in kibbutz Nahal Oz, close to the border with Gaza at the time of the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023. All of the residences on the kibbutz have fortified safe rooms in the event of mortar and rocket attacks, an intermittent reality living so close to the border fence. The morning of October 7 this family and others knew that something different was unfolding because of the intensity of the attack followed by the sound of gunfire close at hand. They went immediately to their safe room with two young daughters and waited in the dark. 

While they soon lost electricity they were able to use their phones to communicate with other residents and inform family and friends elsewhere that they were in crisis, although they really had no idea what was unfolding close at hand, whether the attack was nation-wide, and whether the military was responding. Their family story ended up gaining global attention because Tibon's father, a retired general living in Tel Aviv, armed himself and set out for the kibbutz with his mother. Along their dangerous journey they saved the lives of others. The book becomes a gripping page-turner in a way I didn't expect. 

Tibon alternates chapters about the 70-year history of Nahal Oz as part of the emerging state of Israel with the harrowing personal events of October 7th. His family moved to the kibbutz for a number of reasons, including a hope for a greater sense of community, a life away from the hectic pace of a city, and cheaper housing costs. While they knew there was risk they also knew that there had been periods of relative peace between the Israeli border communities and they believed in a two-state solution. They loved the natural beauty of the surrounding area with the Negev desert immediately at hand. 

This is not a religious book by any means but Tibon does note the biblical importance of Gaza for millennia and the wild story in Judges of the powerful Samson pulling down the city gates, hence the title of the book.  

Tibon and his family survived because of the heroic response of the security team on the kibbutz and the arrival of a military contingent that included his now civilian father. Fourteen members of their kibbutz were killed, all of the them known to them,  but in one neighbouring community 100 died and in another, 60. The music festival where more than 300 were massacred was only a few kilometres away.

Despite the horror they experienced personally, the grim reality that they may never return to their community, and the national crisis, Tibon takes a measured approach in outlining what has transpired through the decades. His disdain for Prime Minister Netanyahu is apparent and he recognizes the terrible retributive toll for the Palestinian people. He goes so far as to acknowlege the accusations of others within Israel who use the controversial terms  "apartheid" and "genocide" 

It brought to mind the controversy that erupted 15 years ago around the use of the word apartheid in United Church document regarding the Israeli response in Gaza and the West Bank.The word was eventually dropped under pressure but is has emerged in the UCC discussion again this year due to the destruction and deaths in Gaza. 

I found The Gates of Gaza very helpful even though finding clarity in this complex scenario seems impossible. I'm committed to doing so, just the same.