ISRAEL ON THE MARCH

[Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] bleak endless desert on all sides deep golden sand desolate wastes rocks all the colors of the rainbow [Music] in this desert the steps of man can be traced caravans struggled along the tracks freedom-loving tribes wandered in search of a future this is the path taken by the ancient hebrews following their faithful leader moses from bondage to the promised land [Music] for the negev has always been a crossroads the shortest route connecting the mediterranean and the red sea egypt to assyria the link between the countries of the mediterranean and distant india it has bridged countries continents cultures [Music] in biblical times the amalekites wandered here the the nabataeans they were later joined by the israelites the bible relates how our forefathers dwelt here abraham planting shady trees in beersheba isaac digging wells [Music] it reached the peak of its prosperity during the roman and byzantine periods the ruins of roads churches synagogues baths amphitheaters and private homes scattered over the whole area shows that the negev was a thriving land it was during the byzantine period that the negev was thickly populated by settlers who built towns and villages they leveled terraces on the slopes dug water canals built dams planted vineyards and orchards with the rise of islam the bedouins overran the negro they laid waste of the buildings forced by byzantine culture and the land became again a prey to the shifting sand the victory of the desert was complete and the sand reigned supreme for two thousand years its cities dead and roads forgotten and the negev forgotten with them the ancient period of our forefathers rises again with endless wanderings along crackless wastes caravans flocks of goats tended by desert tribes wandering in search of water and grazing [Music] the wandering son of the desert romantic though his life and customs may be makes no progress he continues to be a nomad the desert will remain his home forever wandering from oasis to oasis [Music] people lived like this in the bronze age the progress of human development was arrested here and was bypassed by civilization for thousands of years [Music] land desert with no shade of a tree not a leaf stirring [Music] [Applause] israel with its return to the land of its forefathers begins constructing its life on you the silence of the desert is broken the desolate waste comes to life [Music] jews from all over the world working together to breathe life into this dead land even the younger generation is called upon to lend a hand the youth of israel does its bit willingly to transform these deserted arid stretches into populated centers of culture and strength in your house the farm of the gardner youth movement school children from town and country come here in two week shifts to aid in this transformation and neither wind nor sand can stop their work [Music] another gardna farm at the air or rock boys and girls have changed this arid soil into a blossoming garden this place was once called beer hindus by the arabs meaning the well of darkness now it is called the air or the well of life [Music] an experimental farm in the true sense of the word trying out new systems in vegetable cultivation a daring experiment in this climate growing vegetables without soil [Music] the negev bears fruit the soil yields its riches [Music] this transformation was accomplished by the creative pioneers of israel [Music] however always dependent on the whims of the weather [Music] to be independent of this fickle weather we must bring in the water ourselves the negev thirsts for water millions of gallons will flow through giant pipes south from the jordan and the yarcon river the day is not far off and the words of the prophet will come true i will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys from this barren soil we extract chemicals fertilizers to enrich the ground phosphates are here in large quantities phosphates have many uses in addition to its fertilizing qualities it acts as a raw material for many important industries while many minerals have been found in the negev the search for others goes on here drilling for oil one of the hopes of israel near the dead sea [Music] so the dead sea contrary to its name abounds in life-giving minerals the stone works belies its site for it once was the burial place of the accursed cities of zdam and gomorrah man has changed this curse to a blessing the desert wastes of dom yields tons of salt and potash the products are transported along a road hewn out of the wilderness built under the most exacting conditions [Applause] [Music] new roads the arteries of a civilized country's transportation system [Music] [Applause] [Music] the roads of the negev team with traffic the ancient biblical city assumes new robes and a new civic role as the capital of the negev this pulsating center was once a meeting place for the wandering veterans a new city is mushrooming around the old with housing projects and factories this is the city of the future in the country of the future evidence of the new outlook is found in the historic meeting of the president of israel with leading arab notable animosity is forgotten as american rabbis greet arab sheikh [Music] however on the borders relations are strained as a result soldiers tilling their soil stand ready at a moment's notice to spring to arm the dwellers of these settlements are members of the pioneer fighting forces a strange army unparalleled the world over a force which farms and fights [Music] just a short distance from this lonely camp is engedi a spring and oasis on the shores of the dead sea famous since antiquity king david hid in its caves from the wrath of saul zealots lived here in piety and rebels made it their headquarters during the revolt against rome but now it serves as a playground for our soldiers who bathe in its cool refreshing waters [Music] israeli soldiers go to masada joseph flavius tells how this stronghold was the last resort for the defenders of jerusalem after its fall for three long years it held out with dogged perseverance the romans laid siege to it reaching the walls at long last with a battering rack when the surviving defenders realized their hopeless position they chose death before the dishonor of falling alive into roman hands the loss of masada marks the fall of the last bastion of jewish independence until the rise of the state of israel now it is a resort for israeli youth [Music] the main road to a lot is being built by young soldiers like these the materials lie close by clay which is quarried on the spot it is also used in the manufacture of glazed tiles for kitchens and pipes and now rolls southward southward antuela this is the refrain of a popular song it is a sung by soldiers whose ambition it is to conquer the wastes they go desert words to break roads build settlements blaze a path to the future on the way to a lot solomon's minds were discovered and led us to believe that we too could find copper there and we have now as then copper and other rich minerals from the negev will be exported from the port of elect a lot is eagerly looking forward to the future this gateway to the world just as it was in the days of solomon [Music] now it is only in the process of construction but soon it will be a port for fishing tourist trade boating and export an outlet to the pacific ocean has made an outlet to the far east a country renews its people a nation [Music] develops [Music] you