the fence. Therefore, some sug-
gest that we avoid living in a
Gaza-like compound and get the
fence built along the Green Line,
which is outside Gush Etzion.
Serious objections to this are that
once a fence is built, it can all-
too-easily be a future border,
with Israel potentially sacrificing
the other side — my side. More
immediately, a fence is a psycho-
logical border, much more so
than the "invisible" Green Line,
and many people will neither
visit nor invest in areas beyond
the fence.
Other options being discussed
are two fences — one on the
Green Line (to protect Tel Aviv)
and one around the Gush Etzion
communities. The second fence,
which is actually being consid-
ered as an alternative even with-
out the Green Line fence, would
crisscross Gush Etzion, making it
a scary and unsightly place to
live.
None of these options are
appealing. In the meantime, we
are relying on leftist Israelis who

always sue the courts in support
of the Arabs to move the fence in
their favor. At least it will delay
the building of it.
As the High Holidays came to a
close, there were mixed feelings
and emotional turmoil among
the citizens of Gush Etzion. While
praying in the relative safety and
security of our beautiful new
synagogue, we weren't exactly
sure what we should be praying
for. We can only hope that the
One we were praying to will
guide us to decisions that will
bring safety, security and pros-
perity for the entire land of
Israel. ❑

Laura Ben-David lives in Neve
Daniel, near Jerusalem. She has
many relatives in Metro Detroit,
including a grandmother, Rena
Fishman of West Bloomfield. Ben-
David and her husband, Lawrence,
made aliyah in 2002 from Boca
Raton, Fla. They have five children
ages 2-15. Her e-mail address is
Laura@ LBWx2.com .

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Answering
Israel's Critics

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The Charge:

Jeff Halper, a critic on the fringe of Israeli radical politics, was in
Detroit last week charging that Israel's policies, including its secu-
rity barrier, have destroyed Palestinian agriculture.

Detroit Jewish News

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The Answer:

The Palestinian Authority-controlled areas used to be clearly visi-
ble from the air, but as Palestinians freely adopted Israeli drip irri-
gation methods, those areas "greened." That difference is disap-
pearing, as is the discrepancy between Israeli and Palestinian
agricultural yields.
In addition, Israel is the only area in the world to have recorded a
net gain in the number of trees in the 20th century. Also, the Gaza
disengagement left the Palestinians a gift — a multi-million-dol-
lar fully functional greenhouse industry.

— Allan Gale, Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Detroit

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October 27.2005

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