VIDEO: Residents of West Bank settlement Ganim pack up belongings and leave their homes: 'We have moved to a beautiful home, but it cannot replace our old one'
GANIM - (VIDEO) "As soon as we had realized the disengagement plan would be carried out, we knew we would not resist it," 51-year-old Silvi Har-El, who has willingly evacuated the West Bank settlement of Ganim Tuesday, told Ynet.
“It was very hard to pack not only the boxes, but the emotional baggage as well,” she said. “It was a realistic decision (to leave); we are not causing disorder and do not confront the army or police, because there is no way back.”
Har-El, 51, left Ganim with her husband Yonatan. The couple has three children.
Reuters video
“We moved to the new house in Afula, and it feels strange, because it is not my home,” she said. “It will be a while before I feel at home here. We lived in Ganim for 16 years; we moved there because we were looking for quality of life, but we fell in love with the place.”
Har-El said she and her husband chose to relocate to Afula as it is located in close proximity to their work places.
“We chose Afula, but if it were up to me we would not leave Ganim. We moved to a beautiful, spacious home, but it cannot replace our home in Ganim,” she said.
Beginning again
“This is not your average move, it is much more emotional and difficult. It was not our decision (to relocate). We were forced to. We understood that eventually, one way or another, no one would remain in Ganim. If it were up to me, I would live there ‘til the day I die- that’s how much I love it there.”
Compensation
Some settlers bargaining for funds / By Efrat Weiss
West Bank settlers slated for evacuation may receive more compensation if they leave willingly or settle in certain towns
Har-El is one of the few settlers who support the pullout.
“I believe the pullout can contribute and be beneficial. Everyone says it would only destroy and deteriorate the situation, but I believe it would help,” she says. “We have gone through some tough times here, with threats from the Arabs, terror attacks and fear, but we remained anyway.”
When asked whether Ganim settlers would physically resist the evacuation, Har-El said, “There are two families in Ganim that plan on staying and resisting the evacuation.”
“I hope they too will come to terms with the situation and begin a new life,” she said.
Anita Kobi, 49, who is expected to leave Ganim with her husband and three children in a week, said, “I am packing, but I cannot believe this is happening. It is difficult. We are leaving with great sorrow.”
“Today I wept as I had the address on my identification card changed,” she said.
'Third intifada coming'
Kobi said she is leaving the settlement mainly due to the frequent terror alerts in the area.
“My youngest child is starting the 5th grade – I fear for her,” she said. “Most of the children have already left the settlement because of the alerts and shooting incidents. There are no summer camps and no community life here – it is heartbreaking to see how the settlement is falling apart.”
Kobi said she hoped the Disengagement Office would move the Ganim settlers en masse to the Gilboa region.
“No such offer is on the table, so we are moving to the nearest city, Afula.
Kobi said the settlers’ live are now going to change drastically.
“We lived in a warm, friendly environment, and now we are destroyed,” she said.
As opposed to Har-El, Kobi is against the disengagement.
“I do not believe in this move,” she said. “Only yesterday (Monday) the Palestinians spoke of getting Nativ Haesreh (land near Gaza) -
I believe the third intifada is knocking on our door.”
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