JERUSALEM – Watching television images of Palestinians looting the remains of their former homes and burning down the synagogues they built, Jewish Gaza refugees told WorldNetDaily yesterday they are "sick to their stomach" and "disgusted by the barbarity of the Arabs."
"It is tearing me up inside, and is the saddest thing I ever had to watch," said Dror Venunu, who was the director of housing in Gaza's former Gush Katif slate of Jewish neighborhoods. "I am forcing myself to look at the pictures and the video of what is going on to see what these animals are doing to my community. It's so much to take in."
Looting and chaos continued in Katif yesterday, one day after Israel's final departure from the area. Thousands of Palestinians poured in from nearby Khan Yunis, Gaza City and Rafah to celebrate Israel's withdrawal and chip away at the ruins of former Jewish homes and businesses. Celebrations frequently spun out of control, with Palestinians setting fire to debris.
Hamas flew its flag from the remains of the Gush Katif municipality, which until last month housed Venunu's offices. Palestinians also burned down three of Gaza's 20 synagogues. Hamas' Gaza leader, Mahmoud al-Zohar, Monday held a Muslim prayer service in one large synagogue and then called on Hamas supporters to destroy the holy site. The Palestinian Authority has said it will raze the remaining synagogues.
"Israel didn't do enough to protect the synagogues," said Venunu. "It should have known what the Palestinians would do and asked the international community to protect the structures."
There were reports yesterday of Palestinians storming greenhouses left behind by Israel in a deal brokered by private American organizations. In Gadid, a large former Jewish farming community, a group of looters overwhelmed hundreds of PA guards who acknowledged they were unable to hold back the crowds.
Anita Tucker, one of the pioneer farmers of Gush Katif and the owner of several greenhouses left behind in Gaza, told WND: "I am not in the least bit surprised by what the Palestinians are doing. Still, I put my whole life's work into my greenhouses, and it pains me, it sickens me in my stomach, to even think of what is now happening to them."
Tucker added, "I had employed Palestinian greenhouse workers and was quite close to them. If this withdrawal didn't happen and we could have developed relations with the Palestinians, there could probably have been peace. Back before the Oslo Accords, I used to go shopping in Gaza City and there was lots of communication. But then the 'peace process' destroyed it all."
Former Katif resident and IsraelReporter.com blogger Shlomo Wollins told WND: "I am angered, but the savagery in Gush Katif by the Palestinians was all expected. I feel like we are dealing with sub-humans, savages, people whose basic animal instincts overwhelm even their own logic. It's in the Palestinians best interests to behave themselves right now when the whole world is watching them. But they can't control their need to destroy all things Jewish, like the synagogues."
The Palestinian Authority, though, sought to blame Israel for the synagogue desecrations.
Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, told WorldNetDaily: "We of course have the highest respect for Judaism and the Jewish religion, but we [could not] guarantee the synagogues won't be desecrated. We are very upset at Israel about this decision to throw their problems on us. They are trying to make us look like barbarians."
Senior Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh told WND: "This was Israel's fault. We urged the Israelis not to leave behind the synagogues and to coordinate with us, but they didn't. I hope Israel will learn its lesson."
Previous stories:
Chief PA spokesman: We're in complete control
Gaza synagogues face likely desecration
Americans shocked Gaza evacuees still homeless
Israel: PA rejected request to protect synagogues
Gaza Jewish graveyard uprooted