Index

FEATURES SETTLERS IN GAZA STRIP

> SETTLERS IN GAZA STRIP
Photographs by NIKOS PILOS / TAÏGA - Text by NICOLAS LEONTOPOULOS (REF: 273-50061)
Gush Katif is a complex of settlements in the south part of Gaza Strip, on the land seized by Israel after the 1967 war. Politically, it undermines the Israelo-palestinian conflict. But most of all, socially, it provides a context of living full of paradoxes.
For the palestinians, this is the most scandalous symbol of illegal occupation.
For the jewish settlers, the most evident triumph of sionism: a desertous land turned into a community. Seen from the outside, the area is guarded as a high security prison. Electric wire-fence, tanks and armoured vehicles, dozens of checkpoints, thousands of soldiers. Seen from the inside, landscapes and daily life in these jewish communities remind of life in an american suburb. Jewish settlers and palestinian villagers live side by side, intercepted by the IDF in this strange geopolitical status quo.
> Neve Dekalim is a “regional urban center” of 2.300 people, mostly populated by observant jews.
> Between the Gush Katif settlements and the sea, lies the Mawasi area, a palestinian populated strip of land, cut-off from the rest of the palestinian territory.
> Lastly, there is the “Song of the Sea” community, a line of caravan houses lying on the beach, populated by non-observant jews. In their backyard, there is a long fenced wall and a military post that are supposed to protect the settlers from the Mawasi palestinian area.
The story covers everyday life of people with different backgrounds:
A french middle-class family of 3 children that moved 2 years ago in Neve Dekalim from Nice. An ex-commando of the IDF that lives by the beach with the lifestyle of a hippy. An israeli young woman that immigrated in a beach house seeking a better standard of life. Palestinian fishermen, confined to live and work in a narrow slice of land. Thai workers working in the settlers’ greenhouse or playing a traditional ball game during their leisure time… Soldiers that protect civilians, civilians that carry guns to protect themselves, local children and yeshiva students from Jerusalem, studying or enjoying at the local pizzeria.


Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_01.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_02.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_03.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_04.jpg

Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_05.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_06.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_07.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_08.jpg

Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_09.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_10.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_11.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_12.jpg

Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_13.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_14.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_15.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_16.jpg

Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_17.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_18.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_19.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_20.jpg

Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_21.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_22.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_23.jpg	Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_24.jpg

Settlers in Gaza Strip 272_50061_25.jpg

Back to features summary

All images on this site are copyrighted by "Taïga Presse Images" and its represented photographers and may not be used in any form, even on the Internet, without a written licensing agreement. Unauthorized usage is a violation of the International Copyright Law and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
TAïGA - 29, rue Ganneron- 75018 Paris- France
Tel: +33 (0) 1 55 30 05 00- Fax: +33 (0) 1 55 30 04 00- E-mail: info@taiga-press.com