Minister of Housing (Shas) on Tuesday spent an hour touring the Gush Katif Museum located near Agrippas Street in Yerushalayim, visibly moved by what he saw, the reminder of the once-flourishing Jewish communities of Gaza, uprooted by a Government of Israel only to permit the establishment of a Hamas terror state in its place.

The minister reminded his hosts of the p’sak halacha of Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlita on the eve of the expulsion, warning it should not be carried out. Museum Director Shlomo Warstil told the minister that the former Gush Katif residents have hakaras ha’tov for R’ Ovadia and Shas, for standing firmly opposed to the government decision back in 2005.

Atias applauded the people of Gush Katif, their love for the nation, Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and the IDF despite the unprecedented trials and tribulations. He explained he feels a sense of mission that he serves as housing minister, working to rebuild their lives, vowing to continue doing everything he can to assist the expellees, many still working to rebuild their shattered lives.

The big lesson he adds is for the nation’s leaders and the people, never to permit one-sided processes such as these, as was predicted by Maran R’ Ovadia, serving just to bring rockets closer to the homes of southern area residents and permitting Hamas to strengthen its terrorism infrastructure.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)