I have been teaching Middle East History
for many years. Knowing the history is a great advantage for trying to
make sense of the current conflicts in the region. My recorded
Middle
East History Series will be released soon. In the meantime, feel free to listen
to this course lecture on modern trends in the Middle East.
In January, 2005 we drove from Haifa in
northern Israel to
Sha'ar Hanegev, the gateway of the Negev, for our
first visit to Kibbutz Or Haner three kilometers from the Gaza border.
Expecting semi-arid terrain, we were amazed to see the lush green
hillsides and beautiful fields and orchards on land that was so desolate
before the Jewish settlers arrived.
Just prior to that visit, a Kassam
rocket hit outside the factory on the edge of the kibbutz. Windows were
shattered, but no one was injured.
By May of 2006 when we visited again,
the situation was more tense. Nine months after the Israeli withdrawal
from Gaza, we interviewed a family that had been relocated from Gaza to
Or Haner and learned about their struggles to make a new start hoping
that their sacrifice would lead to a more peaceful life.
Instead,
the early morning "Red Dawn" warnings blared. We listened to the
rumbling of artillery shells in nearby Gaza nearly every day. Three days
later, when we were relaxing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, we
learned that a rocket exploded just behind the row of homes where we
were staying. How did the situation get like this? Here's the
story.
