Unauthorized building harms the movement to settle Judea and Samaria
Unauthorized building harms the movement to settle Judea and Samaria

No to Generalizing

I received many responses following my previous column concerning the "Duma affair." In particular, people who bear the holy burden of settling the hilltops expressed firm support, proving my objection to including all hilltop residents in our criticism of the sins of the few troublemakers, for the majority of them are solid citizens.

One of the heads of the hilltop settlers wrote that he agreed with every word I wrote. Another added that in all the hilltop communities it is understood that whenever this group of troublemakers arrives, problems begin, and all development comes to a standstill. Consequently, every hilltop community that begins to flourish makes every possible effort to distance themselves from this group of troublemakers.

On the other hand, some people who read the article were very upset. I received harsh allegations from parents and family members of these wild troublemakers, and also numerous questions from their unsuspecting supporters. Since the majority of the arguments and questions stem from a lack of understanding, I will address a few of them.

The Timing of Publication

Q: Why was it necessary to publish the scathing criticism of the youth while they were being tortured and reviled? Wouldn't it have been better to wait a few more months?

A: I did so because there are decent and naive people who lump them all together and who are unfamiliar with this specific anarchic group and are therefore praising their alleged "righteousness", as if they were heroes on behalf of the Torah and the struggle to settle the Land of Israel. As a result, there was an urgent need to present the matter truthfully. Nevertheless, I postponed publicizing the article for three weeks, because it was intended to remedy the situation. The aim was for the matter be discussed among the residents of Judea and Samaria and their supporters, and not by the secular media, which is controlled mostly by people who, unfortunately, are extremely hostile to our efforts. Therefore, after charges were filed and the media establishment was no longer focused on the interrogations - it was time to clarify the issue.

This Position is not Intended to Absolve us of Guilt

I also received the following question from the opposite direction: "Rabbi, your words of protest against the troublemakers are extremely important, but why weren't they written at the time when all the media was dealing with the subject? Had you done so, you would have disassociated from all the offenders, and removed the blanket guilt from all of the settlers?"

A: First of all, it is improper to disassociate from guilt, because one who is able to protest but refrains from doing so, is punished (Shabbat 54b).

Most importantly, though, condemning the troublemakers at the same time the media condemns the j'settlements" is pointless, because their hatred of Jews and the "settlements" does not stem from one particular illegal act or another, but from deeper motives. Therefore, it was sufficient for representatives to express a principled position opposing violence. Anything beyond that would have been exploited by those who hate us.

After all, leftist spokespersons exploited the murder in Duma to blame all of the right-wing, including the Prime Minister, of direct responsibility "for the killings and burning of families" - in the plural. The radical left even accused the moderate left of legitimizing the "riots, pogroms, burning of families, and the killings by the 'settlers' and IDF." Enemies of the State of Israel world-wide accused all Israelis of responsibility for the policies of murder and apartheid against the "Palestinian people." And the biggest anti-Semites blamed every Jew in the world for the murder "of the Palestinian people" who, needless to say, are believed by them, strangely,to be the most miserable and oppressed people on the face of the earth! I wished to avoid all of this.

We should not lose hope in explaining Israel's position, but in order to do so we need to present an ethical, principled position, instead of apologizing for violence whose significance is negligible compared to the horrible Muslim violence.

Moreover, the harsh criticism was not said in relation to other people's standards, rather, in relation to our own standards – those loyal to the Torah, the Nation, and the Land. People who yearn for the honor of God and Israel, who long for the 'Ingathering of the Exiles', the building of the Land and the redemption stemming from it; people who greatly desire and anticipate the building of Jerusalem and the Temple, who are loved in the Heavens, and are pleasing in the eyes of all people (see, Tanna D'vei Eliyahu, Chapter: 4:14).

Why was the Criticism Written So Scathingly?

Q: Rabbi, why did you denounce the mischievous hilltop youth in such a scathing and sharp manner? Are they the worst type of kids? Shouldn't you first condemn youth who sink into drugs and immorality?

A: There isn't a single person who thinks that youth who fall into drugs and immorality are doing a mitzvah; everyone realizes they are sinners, and all conversations concerning morality are directed at them. There isn't a single group that claims in the name of Judaism and the Torah that Shabbat should be desecrated and non-kosher food be eaten.

The problem created in recent years is that people whose basic desires are good, have permitted themselves to act violently and wickedly towards Israel's sacred ideals, and what's more, claim that out of "righteousness" and "ultra chassidut" they degrade both the Torah and its bearers – the defenders of Am Yisrael and those engaged in settling the Land.

This is the exact opposite of all the fundamentals our teacher and guide, Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah Kook ztz"l, elucidated and explained in his important lectures and essays in the book "Le'Netivot Yisrael." Consequently, it is essential to define evil as evil, for if not, it cannot be fixed, especially when it adorns itself in "robes of holiness".

Damage Caused in Three Areas

Q: What damage is there in idealists willing to endanger their lives for the sake of settling Judea and Samaria by establishing hilltop communities by means of great self-sacrifice?

A: The benefit resulting from the group of troublemakers within the hilltop movement to the settlement of the Land of Israel is negligible, while on the other hand, the damage they cause is immense, particularly in three areas: a) disrupting the settlement of the Land. B) Creating constant conflicts with the Arabs and the IDF. C) The corruption of other youth.

Settling the Land through the Expansion of Existing Settlements

It's important to know that almost all of the hilltop communities were established under the direction of the leaders of the "settlement" movement, in collaboration with the most senior government officials, on land originally planned for their communities' expansion. This form of construction originated after the cursed Oslo Accords, which created heavy pressure opposing the construction of new communities in Judea and Samaria. The solution found was to build neighborhoods, sometimes called hilltop communities, near the existing ones. Despite all the difficulties and harassment, these hilltop communities developed while receiving government funding, and the majority of them have already become established, mainstream neighborhoods numbering thousands of families.

On the other hand, all the hilltop communities regularly destroyed by the army and the police are hilltops that were started by the private initiative of activists and youths on unauthorized lands. In the past, there were cases where hilltop communities were started on unauthorized land as a Zionist response to the murder of our comrades who died 'al Kiddush Hashem' – for the sake of God, the People, and the Land . Even hilltop communities such as these are usually destroyed, and only in rare cases when public officials get involved are they allowed to remain standing, with their managing requiring enormous public resources.

If the majority of Knesset members were ardent supporters of the communities' expansion, our situation would be very good. However in practice, only about half of the Ministers and thirty MK's actively support the expansion of 'settlements'. In such a reality, we are working hard to continue building and absorbing families, and thank God, we are successfully developing at the rate of five percent per annum.

The Disruption of the Troublemakers

I will not bother you, my readers, with all the complications associated with building the Land of Israel. In general, the allocation of final building permits ('taba') to areas already built, or official approval to areas about to be built, depends on the houses being built according to the original plan of State authorities - even if for political or policy reasons approval of these plans have not yet been completed.

This group of troublemakers meticulously build on unauthorized areas, thus preventing the continuation of construction planning in the adjacent communities for many years. Not only that, as long as there is no approval for a 'taba', the government cannot build daycare centers, parks, schools, and any public buildings the residents of the community are entitled to.

We, the 'settlers', have decided to dedicate our lives, and sometimes even risk our souls, for the sake of building the Land, and not to play games of "cops and robbers" with fellow soldiers and police. We settled here to fulfill the vision of the prophets and fulfill the mitzvot of settling the Land, which our Sages said is equivalent to all the other mitzvoth combined. The essence of this mitzvah is that the Land be in our hands and not in the hands of another nation, or remain a wasteland.

As well-known, continued life in Judea and Samaria is in great danger. We cannot be confident that we will succeed. Representatives of almost all countries are pressuring us to withdraw from the heart of our country. Many of our brothers accept their position, believing that peace will come to Israel if we are uprooted from Judea and Samaria. The courts also interfere, placing difficult obstacles in our path. Ministers and MK's who support us are required to stand up to serious allegations from representatives of friendly countries. They justify themselves in that construction is carried out within the demarcations of existing communities

In order to remove the danger from our nation and country - we must grow as fast as possible, especially in 'Gav Ha'Har (the area surrounding Schem in Samaria) – one of the most threatened places. When the communities are bursting at the seams due to the massive number of residents, it will be much easier for us to continue expanding. These troublemakers hinder the growth and development of the communities.

Constant Conflicts

These troublemakers create constant conflicts with the Arabs and the I.D.F., clashes forcing soldiers to come to their defense in order to save their lives, and afterwards, to separate them from the Arabs. From time to time, until the soldiers come to rescue them, SWAT teams and heads of security from other communities are summoned to save them from the Arabs, and as the reports given them by the troublemakers are highly inaccurate, some residents in the past were quick to open fire in order to prevent one of them from allegedly being taken hostage and murdered. Thus, residents got entangled in clashes, investigations, revocation of licenses to carry weapons, and loss of work. These troublemakers also attack Arab construction workers who come to build in the Jewish communities.

Corrupting the Youth

Repeated attempts to set-up temporary structures in unauthorized places results in soldiers and policemen having to be called in to destroy these buildings. Afterwards, the youth are dragged into risky activities of supposedly guarding these structures, and constant struggles with soldiers and police. As a result, the youth become bitter, frustrated, and hostile towards the entire establishment. Instead of seeing everything that was built, instead of recognizing the important role of the IDF, they learn to see only the bad.

Some of the youth are rescued from this vicious cycle, but there are those who are subsequently thrown out of educational institutions, even get entangled in crime and drug and alcohol abuse, and their path to being recruited into the army and acquiring an honorable profession is ruined.

This article appears in the 'Besheva' newspaper, and was translated from Hebrew. Other interesting and informative articles by Rabbi Melamed, including the entire series of his highly acclaimed books on halakha in Hebrew (and a few in English), can be found at the Yeshiva Har Bracha website:http://en.yhb.org.il/