The slogans that were heard from members of the dati leumi party have been replaced by a harsh reality check, and it now appears despite Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett’s efforts and promises, the community of Amona will be expelled once again as per the order handed down by the High Court of Justice.
It is clear to all that the Regulation Bill which was the great hope of the right-wing will pass in Knesset but it will not be applicable to Amona, for the 8 homes in Ofra and 17 homes in the Netiv HaAvot neighborhood of Elazar for that matter and all of these homes R”L will be destroyed by the Government of Israel as per the High Court. It is also likely that immediately after the bill is passed into law, the matter will be brought before the High Court again and the court will overturn the Knesset law as it has done in the past in the ongoing power struggle between the legislative and judiciary branches of Israel’s governmental system.
At the crux of the matter is paragraph 7, which states the law applies retroactively, which was the last hope to save Amona, the Ofra homes and those in Elazar. The legal experts including Attorney General Dr. Avichai Mandelblit explain the bill including paragraph 7 will not stand the challenge of a High Court challenge. Others feel that even if the court overturns it, the bill must be passed with paragraph 7 to permit the Knesset to do its utmost to save the communities.
The bill will be in Knesset for its final votes on Wednesday, 7 Kislev, and at present, it appears that Bennett is willing to have the vote on the bill without the inclusion of paragraph 7.
Opponents of the plan point to Migron, one of the cases in which residents were promised a new yishuv nearby. They too agreed to leave on their own in 2012 aware of the High Court of Justice destruction order against them, once again with the court accepting the position of Arabs, who claimed land ownership. They are now aware the area which is now their home is not suited for a permanent community as it should and the community if breaking apart. Another example is the Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El. Wanting to avoid bloodshed and confrontations between civilians and security personnel, the mora d’asra of the community Rabbi Zalman Melamed Shlita agreed to ask the families to leave on their own to be located to a larger community. Here to the expulsion was ordered by the High Court of Justice after Arabs claimed the homes were built on their land. This occurred in 2012 and this too has yet to occur and life for the ulpana families has been difficult.
The residents of Amona feel the government cannot be trusted and despite the bleak picture, they refuse to leave voluntarily and are calling on the masses to come and assist them, vowing they will passively resist efforts to oust them from their homes. There are also calls, albeit not from Amona residents, to use violence and any means possible to prevent yet another Israeli of eviction from their homes. Amona residents have refused any and every deal proposed, including as recently as this week when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu offered NIS 50 million to relocate the approximately forty families.
At present, the coalition lacks a majority for the bill as Likud MK Dr. Benny Begin insists he will vote against it as promised, insisting the law with or without the inclusion of paragraph 7 is a “bad law” and he cannot back it. Considerable pressure was applied on Begin to get him to agree to abstain, but he would not, refusing to permit the bill to pass into law.
Speaking to Kol Berama Radio on Monday morning 5 Kislev, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked signaled she too realizes the Regulation Bill is not likely to save Amona and the tzibur must prepare for this eventuality.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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16 Responses
The only solution and incentive to stop the court’s stupidity is for a huge billboard stating:
JEWS WORLDWIDE PRAY FOR DIVINE PUNISHMENT OF THOSE INVOLVED IN ANOTHER JEWISH EXPULSION.
Don’t the ministers in the Israeli government remember the Divine punishment ALL involved in the expulsion of the Jews of Gaza and Amona received? From Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, Dan Halutz, Niso Shachman, Mosh Karadi, Chaim Ramon, and many many more.
Eretz Yisreal belongs to the Jews—–NO ONE ELSE—I suspect as Mr. Arye (Comment #1) eloquently writes that Divine punishment will be meted out to all those who expel Jews from “The Land”. (goy and non goy as well)
May I as a low character goy suggest (I wished that I could demand) that all Jews do more Talmud Torah and try to be an example of Jewish law to the best of their human abilities !!
Shalom,
Gerry Mullen
Torah prohibits stealing. This applies to stealing land from non-Jews. Perhaps worldwide Jews should unite to protest against those that violate the Torah. The leading Torah authorties of our day have opposed the attempted legalization of Amona.
To the prophets of divine retrubition above (#1and#2) Divine punushment comes from violating the Torah. Thou shal not steal is a divine commandment.
@ crazykanoiy I strongly suggest you learn the first Rashi in Bereishis and reassess what you wrote.
Crazykanoi, the land that Amona is on is not private Arab land.The Arab -with the help of Peace Now, is claiming he owns it but has ABSOLUTELY NO PROOF,NO TITLE or anything. The fact that the anti-israel, anti-religious leftist Supreme Court takes the Arab’s word is absolutely CRAZY!
I greatly fear that there will be bloodshed.
#5 & 6 Don’t bother responding to a Netura Karta. You can’t put sanity back into them. This is the same person who not only wants Arabs to take over Israel but is frantic that 1.5 million Muslims will not be brought in to the US after all because the evil Devil lost.
#5 & 6 For a Netura Karta it’s Koran and not Torah.
What does Neturei Karta have to deal with stealing land? I am supportind the democratic state of Israel. In Israel there is a rule of law. The law is on the side of the Arab owners of the land. The support the IDF remiving them. How can support for Israel, its laws and the IDF be construed as Neturei Karta? Furthermore Agudah, Degel and Shas have not supported the residents of Amona because not only is stealing forbiden according to secular Israeli law it is also forbiden according to the Torah. And yes Rav Shteinman understands rashi on bereishis than Moshe 1994
@10 I agree that according to the Secular government the land belongs to the Arabs; but according to the Torah, the entire land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people.
(side note: Could non Jews own land in Eretz Yisrael?)
#11 Agudah, Shas and Degel did not back the efforts to pass the regulation bill. Litzman (Agudah), Moses (Degel), Deri (Shas) and Attias (Shas) all refused to show up and vote in favor of the bill. The gedolim that guide these MK’s represent a broad spectrum of gedolei yisrael, None are neturei karta. They oppose Amona because the residents of Amona are wrong. Their cause is against the law and counter to the Torah.
Let us all pray that no IDF soldiers are injured and that they succeed in their mission.
very obviously crazy kanoi, how is living in eretz yisroel against the torah? its our land. Goyim cannot own land in eretz yisroel as the sale is not valid (cf chazon ish shmittah).
I hope that this amona expulsion doesn’t happen at all. If it does happen, hopefully it will open the eyes of the dati-leumi community how much the gov’t in israel is against the torah, and maybe they’ll stop praising it as a good thing.
The only solution is to make a medina that is run al pi torah – something unfortunately even the chareidi parties are against.
Kahana Tzodek!
Yeshivishrockstar – I believe that Rav Shteinman is a bigger talmid chochom than you. He opposed legalizing Amona. So have many other gedolei yisrael. There is nobody other than the extremist elements of tge DL community thay support these settlers. Pleaee do not use the holy Torah to validate your base nationalistic impulses.
Living in EY is not against the Torah. But living in EY does not allow one to steal or eat not kosher or murder etc..