Security forces were transported to Ramat Migron on Friday night, close to 01:00. They began asking those present to show their identity cards. Soldiers returned on shabbos day and began making arrests, explain those taken into custody are suspected of throwing rocks at Arabs. At least 20 arrests were made.
Eyewitnesses accuse police of brutality after they used “unjustifiable force”, with some reporting some of the border policemen were “disrespectful” to sifrei torah, not detailing more.
This operation was in addition to chilul shabbos at Mitzpei Avichai, an outpost near Kiryat Arba in which buildings were demolished on shabbos.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
If the people in Ramat Migron are using lethal force against the soldiers, the order is justified by halacha. If not, a Jewish soldier is required to disobey the order. If his officers physically threaten him, the soldier is probably allowed to use lethal force against his officers since that would be self-defense.
The same would also apply to demolishing Arab homes on Shabbos. It is highly unlikely that would be a matter of pikuach nefesh that can’t wait until Shabbos is over.
Since the army is doing this publicly, it is in effect a public “test” of a soldier’s willingness to be Mechalel Shabbos be Tzibbur, which transforms this into a matter in which the Jewish soldier must defend Torah with his life, and is allowed therefore to use lethal force.
So if the secular Israelis have their way, and the army is over 10% hareidim, guess what will happen when the officers give an order to violate Shabbos? Remember this is an army that arranged for female singing at a ceremony as a way of testing the frum officer-candidates loyalty to secular principles. Ordering unnecessary work done on Shabbos is a similar way of requiring soldiers to prove their loyalty to zionism is greater than that loyalty to Ha-Shem. When you have more frum Jews in the army, the answer will horrify the zionists, and bring the survival of the State of Israel into question.
I understand the frustration here but they were doing their jobs. If a doctor is on call on shabbos, and his pager goes off, not only does he answer it but he may have to drive to the hospital as well.
While Migron has nothing to do with Ramat Migron, I would like to point out to MorahRach that what a doctor does is straight out Pikuach Nefesh, whereby what is going on on the “hilltops” could hardly be considered the same.
Dear akuperma, your comparison is very lacking at the least. A dr. is commanded to answer a call by the torah, where anything else, other than pikuach nefesh (which includes baracks urge for revenge, which is the reason for the evacuation and especially on shabbos.) this is a deliberate affront to our religion!
Its like saying if a doctor is called on shabbos he has to respond so my boss can call me to wash his soiled laundry. (nothing personal bro)
MorahRach, a doctor is bound by the same Torah as anyone else. He may only break shabbos for pikuach nefesh, or in those cases where the rabbonon relaxed their own issurim for the sake of a choleh. Otherwise he has no heter for chilul Shabbos.