Ahead of the Jerusalem Day Flag Dance march, Ofer Lieberman of Kibbutz Nir Am in the western Negev said, "There is a sense of discomfort in the Gaza [Strip] periphery and among farmers."
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"We hope they [Palestinians in Gaza] don't burn our fields down on Sunday," he said.
"We're used to getting hit every time something happens in the country, even when it's far away from us, and we're constantly on alert. We hope the Jerusalem march won't turn into an escalation. It's clear to us that every errant bullet and dead terrorist can result in the situation spiraling out of control," Lieberman said.
For the last 10 years, Lt. Col. (res.) Eyal Hajibi of Netivot has served as the regional council's security officer.
He told Israel Hayom: "We here in the periphery are in a tense period that can be described as on peak alert. We haven't forgotten that it was just one year ago that Operation Guardian of the Walls started and that happened following the start of the flag march. We embarked on particularly difficult fighting in that operation in which the Palestinians launched over 5,000 rockets. From the vast experience we have amassed here in the periphery, we understand that the next round will start where the last one left off. That's why we are prepared for any scenario, and we will ensure the operations center has all the necessary equipment and all the officials in the complexes understand and act accordingly."
The Shaar Hanegev Regional Council is in constant contact with military officials and is waiting for instructions from the Israel Defense Forces as well as for its assessment of the situation.
Hajibi said that "despite the threats, there is still no significant assessment from these [IDF] officials, but if there is, we will know on Sunday. We will relay the relevant messages to all the complex directors and council officials and every official so that they understand we could have an escalation here as a result of the situation."
Hajibi said the fact that residents of the western Negev are the first victims of any escalation has made the situation there "intolerable."
"We very much hope that one day, we will stop being the hostages of terrorist organizations in Gaza and be able to raise our children here in peace."
In the meantime, and with an escalation likely, Hajibi said the IDF nevertheless had the full support of the residents of the western Negev.
"We're here to give the military forces all the time necessary to restore the peace and certainly not to end a round the way we ended it over the last decade, without any agreements and without any written dictates," he said.
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