Clashes in Yamit
צילום: לע"מ
Yamit: Tears from the past
As pullout approaches, video features images of Sinai evacuation in 1982 following peace deal with Egypt; residents of Yamit stunned, heart-broken as they watch bulldozers raze their homes
(VIDEO) In April 1982, the southern community of Yamit, in the Sinai desert, was evacuated and its houses razed in the framework of the peace agreement with Egypt.
“The public never understood and cannot understand. Those who aren’t here and cannot smell or sense, would not understand,” one Yamit resident said as he watched the bulldozers in action.
As the disengagement plan approaches, Ynetnews presents the difficult and powerful images of that heart-breaking period. Some Yamit residents refused to be spared the painful scenes of their homes being demolished, choosing instead to watch from a distance.
“We were here when they built the town, so we want to be here when they raze it,” some told the cameras.
Below is the video, courtesy of Channel One television, documenting the final moments of a community that is no longer.
One of the locals featured in the video is Avi Farhan, then a Yamit resident and today a resident of the northern Gaza Strip settlement of Elei Sinai, slated for evacuation. In the video, Farhan is shown standing next to his house, waiting for the bulldozers to arrive, and wearing a shirt with the slogan “Stop the withdrawal,” as if little has changed in 23 years.
Yamit evacuation, 1982 (Photo: GPO)
Next to him is his daughter Michal, who was 12-years-old at the time.
Also in the video is Mickey Nevo, another local resident who for long minutes was unable to find words to describe his feelings.
However, the Farhan family home was only demolished after the family left the scene and Avi Farhan embarked on a march to Jerusalem.
Yamit evacuated in three days
The Yamit region was declared a closed military zone on April 1, 1982, the day dozens of right-wing students barricaded themselves in the town. On April 21, after several disagreements with Egypt were resolved, the government gave its final go-ahead to the IDF’s withdrawal from Sinai.
The same day, bulldozers began demolishing the town and the evacuation of the hundreds of residents got under way. The evacuation took about three days, during which forces clashed with evacuation foes who barricaded themselves on roofs, with some residents resorting to violence.
Fortunately, the operation ended without deaths or serious injuries. Following the evacuation, Yamit was razed on the order of then Defense Minister Ariel Sharon. According to official explanations, Sharon aimed to prevent the possibility that Yamit residents would infiltrate the town after evacuation.
On April 25, sovereignty over the Sinai Peninsula was handed over to Egypt.
