Slated for Destruction: Life in Gush Katif
When Israel abandons Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, it will walk away from 21 communities that house schools, businesses, farms, and 900 acres of high-tech hothouses that yield nearly 70 percent of all Israel’s organic fruits and vegetables and 90 percent of its cherry tomato exports.
In the 20 or so years they have been there, Israelis have turned this rugged land, considered cursed by the Arabs, into a region of luscious produce, brilliant flowers, and aromatic spices. Gush Katif’s famous bug-free vegetables are shipped around the world, generating annual export revenues of $60 million. So far the Palestinians have rebuffed Israel’s efforts to help them take over these assets.
