Gush Etzion Revisited -1

Activity 1: Should Gush Etzion be Built?

Materials:

A map of Israel for each team
History of Gush Etzion for each team [see files 9, 3]
An explanatory note about Netivot and the Negev for the teams in question [see file 4]
Paper, pencils, biros

Divide participants into four teams:

2 teams in 1945:

one tries to establish a settlement 20 km south of Beersheva
the other wants to establish a settlement 20 km south of Jerusalem, on the Hebron road.

2 teams in 1967:

one wants to rebuild Gush Etzion
the other wants to carry out a development project in Netivot.

Each team carries out its project, bearing in mind the following factors:
- the geographical situation of its project
- strategic advantages
- political advantages
- the socio-economic importance of the project.

Then the teams draw up a plan for their settlement or their project (half an hour maximum).

Part 1 - 1945

The two 1945 teams are told that only one of the two projects will be accepted by the Jewish Agency. Consequently, each team has to justify the importance of its settlement to the entire group, which will take a vote in order to decide which of the two is to be accepted.

Part 2 - 1967

The same activity for rebuilding Gush Etzion and the Netivot project.

Part 3 - 1996

The four teams become the representatives of the four settlements which today make up Gush Etzion (eg: Kfar Etzion, Neve Daniel, Tekoa and Alon Shevut). With a view to the peace accords and following the tragic events in Hebron, it is suggested to these representatives that they leave their villages and move to new locations in the Galilee or the Negev. Each team must take a decision about this matter, and provide justification for it.

Conclusion

The activity may conclude with a general vote on the following question: "Should settlement in the Hebron region continue?"

In order to make this an interesting activity, it needs to be run at a good pace, without dwelling too much on each of the phases, but allowing time for the final discussion.