Likud officials during recent months promised to do whatever possible but clearly, they did not promise Amona would not fall a second time. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his colleagues realized they are compelled to carry out the High Court of Justice decision to remove the Jewish community.

Bayit Yehudi on the other hand did promise and party leader Naftali Bennet, as well as Betzalel Smotrich both stated if they cannot prevent the destruction of the community, they would break from the coalition.

Amona is history and Bennett remains silent. In fact, he addressed the Knesset plenum during day one of the expulsion, explaining that while the battle for Amona was lost, despite their herculean efforts, the government is going to build “thousands of housing units throughout Yehuda and Shomron”, thereby justifying their continued inclusion in the coalition government.

It is added that Bayit Yehudi MKs Betzalel Smotrich and Moti Yogev did speak out against the violent youths who attacked police during the eviction from the shul. Yogev called their actions a “chilul Hashem”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)