Gaza sniper's bullet fails to deter friends of fallen kibbutz volunteer - Haaretz

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Fri., February 01, 2008 Shvat 25, 5768

Israel Time: 03:07 (EST+7)

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Gaza sniper's bullet fails to deter friends of fallen kibbutz volunteer

By Cnaan Liphshiz

Tags: volunteer, kibbutz, sniper

Despite pressure from their families, eight volunteers at Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha say they're determined to stay there as they deal with the tragic loss of their friend. A Palestinian sniper gunned down 20-year-old Carlos Chavez from Ecuador last week while he was working in a potato field facing the Gaza Strip.

Hailing from seven countries on four continents, each one found a way to handle the crisis with loved ones from home.

Dana Gottfried, Carlos' girlfriend, called her parents in New York immediately after Carlos' death. "I didn't want them to hear it on the news," Dana told Anglo File at the kibbutz on Tuesday - exactly one week after the shooting.

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She says her parents' first reaction was to think about Carlos' family. Later they began worrying about her safety at the kibbutz, which is situated eight kilometers east of the central region of the Gaza Strip. Dana, who is Jewish and wants to immigrate to Israel, says she will stay until her visa expires next month. "You know it's dangerous, but the people here being as welcoming and friendly as they are, the danger gets sent to the back of your mind," she says. Dana says she thinks that's part of the reason that none of the volunteers left in the wake of the attack.

Seul Gi Hwang is a volunteer on the kibbutz from South Korea. When news reached her parents they asked her to return immediately. "I said no. I want to stay here until the end of the volunteer period in May," she says. Seul Gi, who isn't Jewish, says her relatives are angry with her parents for allowing her to come. "They said they can't understand why they sent me to a dangerous country," she says.

Carlos' friend and compatriot, Marco Acosta, also came under pressure to return to Quito after the attack. "I told them I could die regardless of Qassams or snipers," he explains. "You can die from falling in the shower. My father said he doesn't agree with my decision, but he respects it."

Ben Toorn's mother, an ex-Israeli living in the Netherlands, asked him to leave the kibbutz for a few days until things settle down, but he decided to stay. "I'm attached to this place now," he reports.

Samuel Beghin-Stein from France says he has to deal with a brother who wants him back on French soil as soon as possible. "This place is like family to me. My brother can't do much about it. We're adults and we have made our choices. Independence from my family was one of the reasons I came here in the first place."

Paul Hogan - who arrived from England the day Carlos was shot - told only his father the specific circumstances surrounding the kibbutz. "They told me about the shooting before I arrived. I didn't mind, but when I told my dad about it I asked him not to tell my mom so she wouldn't worry." Rico Meitzner from Germany and James Kirkpatrick from London never told their parents about the shooting. "My family has the address and they actually googled the kibbutz but nothing bad came up," James says. "I was content to leave it at that."

James - who works in the fields with Marco and Paul - asked to change jobs after the shooting. "To be honest, I couldn't bear the thought of putting myself out there," he says. Finally, he decided to stay on. "I've decided to confront my fear. You can spend your life running away from things that scare you."

Samuel says the volunteers have stopped counting the Qassam rocket hits. Indeed, at the entrance to the volunteers quarters, next to a pair of old sneakers, lies a twisted Qassam that someone had brought in from the fields. The kibbutz is littered with these rusting souvenirs. But snipers are a more recent threat. On his first day back to work earlier this week, James worked in the field behind the one where Carlos was shot. "I still felt anxious. I'm constantly looking over to Gaza, thinking whether they can get me from here," he says.

Rami Negbi, the kibbutz security officer and the coordinator for the volunteer program, says he wants the IDF to station tanks near the groups of workers in the fields, as was customary before Israel pulled out of the Strip in 2005. "A tank could immediately return fire. That would deter the snipers altogether," he says. Rico concurs, but Ben and James disagree. "I would actually feel less safe working near a tank, because that's obviously where they would aim," James insists.

Commenting on how the shooting - which none of the volunteers had witnessed - changed his political outlook, James said it made him realize how "British media focuses more on the Palestinians," and "how much we're not being told."

Marco doesn't say much during the political discussion that ensues. Toward the very end of the discussion, he asks: "Do you know exactly how he died?" Carlos, Marco says, was hit in the buttocks by a 5.56 millimeter bullet as the other workers were pulling him into the car. "It's the sort of bullet that twirls inside your body. It exited through the shoulder, tearing up internal organs in its way. When Carlos arrived at the infirmary he was already gone."

The IDF Spokesperson told Anglo File the troops "are doing all they can to provide security along the fence with Gaza, using advanced means to thwart attacks and working with the kibbutzim security officers on a daily basis to allow the residents maximum safety despite the threats from the Strip."

The only way Dana would feel safe, she asserts, is if the army goes into Gaza. "The last thing I want is anyone else to die. I know how it feels. But Israel needs to control what's going on. Right now, they're not doing anything - which angers me more than anything."

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1.	Supporting the Zionst project come with a price	03:35	\|	Ussam	26/01/08

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