“A sixth explosive device was discovered at the Yamit 2000” That’s what the news reports said. The Yamit 2000. A children’s water park in Holon. A place of squeals and splashes. Not a place you’d expect to find a bomb.
The Yamit 2000 is a vibrant water park. It’s a popular destination for families. Children love the slides. Parents appreciate the shaded areas. Everyone enjoys the wave pool. The Yamit 2000 offers more than just water slides. There’s a spa. It has five jacuzzi pools. There are saunas too. A Turkish Hamam adds an exotic touch. There are sports fields as well. Children can play soccer or basketball. Older children may prefer the tennis court or dodgeball. The Yamit 2000 is a complete entertainment complex.
But the Yamit 2000 wasn’t always a water park. Its history stretches back to another Yamit. A different Yamit entirely. That Yamit was an Israeli settlement. It was located in the northern Sinai Peninsula. It was a planned city. A large city of 200000 people was envisioned. That Yamit was established during Israel’s occupation of the Sinai Peninsula. The occupation lasted from the Six-Day War in 1967 to 1982. In April 1982 the Sinai was returned to Egypt.
The original Yamit was evacuated. All the homes were bulldozed. This was a traumatic event. Many settlers resisted. Some barricaded themselves in their homes. Others climbed onto their roofs. Soldiers forcibly removed them. The demolition of Yamit was part of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. There was domestic opposition in Israel. Some wanted to stop the evacuation. They wanted to revoke the peace treaty. They feared Egypt would cancel the peace treaty. Then Egypt would rejoin the Arab world.
Ariel Sharon decided to destroy the settlement. He claimed it was an Egyptian request. This wasn’t true. Begin feared the settlers would return secretly. This could cause a clash with the Egyptians. Some believe Sharon made the process traumatic. He wanted to prevent the dismantling of other settlements. This would have serious consequences for Israel’s poor.
Today only the skeleton of the main synagogue remains. It stands as a silent reminder. A reminder of the original Yamit. And a reminder of the unexpected discovery. A bomb discovered at the Yamit 2000. A place of joy and laughter. A place that almost became a scene of tragedy. But thankfully not. Thankfully the bombs failed to detonate as intended. A miracle. This is the story of the Yamit 2000. A place of fun. A place with a history.