Editor’s note: Amir Shacham is director of the Israel office of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ. In the weeks leading up to Israel’s planned disengagement from the Gaza Strip, he has been writing regularly to friends and supporters about his personal feelings during the days of upheaval. In the dispatch below, Schacham reports on the aftermath of a major anti-disengagement demonstration in Ofakim, UJC MetroWest’s sister city under the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Partnership 2000 program.

Yosef Abutbul owns a tiny shop in Ofakim’s city center. He sells toys and party stuff, but business is not great in a place where too many children find it hard to have a decent meal a day and too many parents are unemployed. Once a year he feels big-time prosperity: These are the days when the Kefiada and Cherkassy madrichim — counselors from summer camps in Israel and Ukraine supported by UJC MetroWest — purchase some summer camps supplies from him.

During the big “orange demonstration” in the Ofakim Park last week, Yosef was on TV. Like many other shopkeepers he opened a temporary plastic booth in the park, trying to sell his merchandise to the thousands of “tourists” that suddenly invaded Ofakim. The TV reporter asked him how goes business, hoping to get the traditional, predictable answer. Instead, we all received a strong political statement:

First of all Yosef was very angry with the municipality. They charged him about $60 for the right to sell in the park. He said that “they took advantage of the unexpected gathering to close their big deficit.”

Secondly, he was highly frustrated that almost none of the demonstrators bought his stuff, other than orange balloons, although there were many children there. “They probably brought their own toys from home” he said bitterly, adding that he should have realized in advance that at such an ideological, tense demonstration no one feels like playing with toys.

Thirdly, he declared something quite surprising and unpopular in this place and time: He is in favor of the disengagement plan. He thinks that “evacuating Gaza will help the Negev a lot and Ofakim will benefit economically when the resources will be shifted there.”

Two very scary economic reports were released here in the last few days. Because of the series of intensive events, they didn’t receive high profile in the media. One shows basically that the gap between the rich and the poor in Israel was widening by an additional 5 percent! The other states that 70,000 new people are now defined below the poverty line, a 5 percent increase, a total of 1.5 million! One out of five Israelis is living in poverty. Frightening.

In a place like Ofakim, the statistics are much worse. We didn’t need these reports to know that there is a big economic crisis in Israel. Ofakim is a target for many of UJC MetroWest’s social and educational programs, and we invest much in the region for the long run. Yet it took Yosef Abutbul’s comments to put things in perspective: Perhaps there is an economic argument here as well. Perhaps indeed the major investments in the settlements were at the expense of developing the development towns. Perhaps the time comes to compensate the Negev for many neglectful years. Perhaps it is all about the economy and we were all stupid. Well, not in Israel. Here everything is subject to politics, including the economy. Abutbul is a lone voice even if he made his statement from deep belief and not because of frustration about his business failure.

For years the vast majority of the population in the development towns has been supporting the right-wing governments, in spite of their own poor economic situation. They are aware of this conflict, they are not stupid and yet, political ideology comes first in Israel, even before economic welfare. For better and for worse Israelis are hungry political animals. That is why the situation is so tense and explosive now. We are all very opinionated, “oranges” and “blues” alike. That is why even the top Israeli economic authority, the finance minister, left office Sunday.

Why now?

Benjamin Netanyahu was always against the unilateral disengagement plan. He thinks that it is a bad idea to give territories back with no compensation. He believes that Gaza will become an Islamic base after the withdrawal. He is afraid that it will endanger our security and will send the wrong message to the terrorists. Unlike Yosef Abutbul, he doesn’t think that it will bring economic benefits. However, he didn’t resign from office till now, just a week before the actual implementation. He said that he didn’t do so long ago because he wanted to complete his economic reforms — which are really significant and meaningful, all experts agree — but it will take at least another year to complete them.

Then why now? Definitely not because of the recent gloomy welfare reports. Netanyahu sees them as a necessary step in his liberal economic reforms.

Perhaps in order to stop Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from executing the dangerous withdrawal? Wrong as well. Netanyahu himself said in a press conference that he doesn’t see a scenario in which the plan will not be executed. It is a done deal.

So what does Netanyahu gain from his resignation? The economy — his baby — might be negatively affected from his step. It will add more confusion to the already impossible turmoil here, and it will not stop the plan. Strange? Not in Israel. The hungry political animals included finance ministers. We act from deep ideological conviction.

Netanyahu is the son of an historian. He said that he doesn’t want to be remembered in history as the one who helped the disastrous evacuation. And yes, he also wants to become the next prime minister, and elections are around the corner.

What’s next for Israel? Hopefully we will be wise, calm, and grown-up enough to pass the coming week with no more violence. There was to be a huge Jewish gathering and prayer service at the Kotel on Wednesday. Today, a mass “orange” demonstration in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square. Saturday is the big Arab Israeli protest on the Temple Mount. Sunday is Tisha B’Av, and then God knows. These are only the planned events, you all know by now that here, especially now, things are more chaotic than planned.

What can you do as an American Jewish community? More of the same: Show solidarity, condemn violence, protect democracy, support social and educational programs in Ofakim and elsewhere, lobby the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Israeli government to develop the Negev. Tell Netanyahu and Abutbul (separately) that in spite of their disagreements you have unconditional commitment to your partners, to all Israelis, and to the elected government.

For additional stories, visit the New Jersey Jewish News at www.njjewishnews.com.