Thousands of former Gush Katif residents and supporters took part in Wednesday’s march near Kissufim Crossing, marking three years since the cabinet of Ariel Sharon expelled almost 10,000 people from their homes and destroyed the once-flourishing communities of Gaza.

The atmosphere was one of optimism and not pain however, with a growing number of former residents confident that the day will come on which they once again begin rebuilding the Jewish community and they will move back to their homes.

In the meantime, the criticism against the government continues to grow as it becomes blatantly obvious that the needs of the former Gush Katif residents have been ignored and the promises of the Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Sela Disengagement Authority have gone unfulfilled.

In addition, the argument used to gain support for the expulsion that Gaza will no longer be a launching ground for attacks against Israel, has gone the way of other government promises and today, the Hamas-controlled area presents a more significant security threat to Israel than ever before.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)