Desert Miracle – History of Gush Katif, the Jewish communities of Gaza

For about 30 years, Gush Katif was a miracle in the desert where Jewish agricultural towns grew bug-free lettuce, cherry tomatoes and developed thriving communities with innovative, organic farming techniques. Join Avner Franklin of the Gush Katif Museum as he takes us on a journey from the 1970s when Golda Meir, Ariel Sharon and Yitzhak Rabin developed the Five Finger Plan to develop Israeli Gaza. Over the next several decades, barren deserts were turned into lush, green farmland and tourists flocked to the white sand beaches of Hotel Neve Dekalim. It was just a short drive from Ashkelon through Gaza City to what was called a “Garden of Eden” in the desert.This special podcast marks the 19th anniversary of the Disengagement from Gaza in 2005.NOTES:* Gush Katif Museum in Jerusalem * History of the Jews of Rafah in Gaza - Jewish History Moment Podcast* History of Jewish Gaza - Jewish History Moment Podcast* The Israeli Government's Policy Towards Settlements in the Gaza Strip 1967 - 2005 by Hagai Huberman and Miriam Bilig (Hebrew) Get full access to Jewish History Moment podcast with Ben Bresky at benbresky.substack.com/subscribe