Giulio Meotti
The writer, an Italian journalist with Il Foglio, writes a twice-weekly column for Arutz Sheva. He is the author of the book "A New Shoah", that researched the personal stories of Israel's terror victims, published by Encounter and of "J'Accuse: the Vatican Against Israel" published by Mantua Books.. His writing has appeared in publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Frontpage and Commentary.
We have already seen that terrible scene.
In February of 2006, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the same man who had proclaimed that “Israel is tired of fighting” its enemies, ordered thousands of police to the brave and beautiful community of Amona, near the town of Ofra, to destroy nine homes in which young families were living.
The area was declared a military zone. Hundreds of mostly young people came out to protest the destruction in the spirit of passive sitdown protest. The police on horseback trampled into the crowd, beat the protesters with clubs and there was bloodshed, with at least 200 protesters and police hospitalized. Even Knesset members, including Moti Yogev, Benny Elon, Aryeh Eldad, and Effie Eitam, were injured.
The attack on Amona took place on the heels of the Hamas election victory and six months before a terribile war between Israel and Hezbollah, which put the Jewish State under siege for a month. When Jews fight each other, Israel’s enemies dribble and prepare to attack them. It is not “land for peace”, but “land for war”.
The Israeli government must find a solution to save Amona and its residents, who are now again in danger. It cannot allow us to see again that scene.
Destroying Amona is not only a terribile injustice. It doesn’t mean only accepting the Arab-Islamic ideology which sees the Jews as “colonizers”. It means also endangering the security of the entire State of Israel. Amona is a buffer and a bulwark for the Israeli Jews who live in the coast.
If Amona’s homes are abandoned and bulldozed, the Arab-Islamic world will see it as a confirmation that terrorism and jihad pay off and they are on the right road to return to Jaffa.
That’s why I say: long live Amona!