Religious Zionist rabbis held a conference in the community of Migron in Binyamin on Monday, during which they protested the recent nighttime demolition of three homes in the community which left three families homeless.
This eviction was not the last one, as the High Court has told the government to destroy the entire community by next March. Migron has been a constant target for Peace Now, which has claimed that Jewish homes are located on property belonging to PA Arabs.
In light of this reality, the rabbis had a clear message to the Israeli government during the conference: We do not intend to leave Migron.
“The purpose of the conference is, first and foremost, to express a strong protest over the fact that homes were destroyed in the land of Israel, without a reason, with no need, quickly, in a way that was inappropriate, taking women and small children out of their homes in the middle of the night, and seriously hurting our sovereignty in the land of Israel,” Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan of Derech Emunah told Arutz Sheva.
“We believe that the entire land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, and we cannot be quiet about this,” he added. “We cannot stand by and see a move like this happen without expressing a strong protest.”
Migron’s rabbi, Rabbi Itay Halevi, addressed the conference attendees and reminded everyone that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria were established by order of the Israeli government – the same government that now comes to evict residents from their homes.
“All the people who came here came as public representatives to be the long arm of the government and the state, to live here and make the wilderness thrive,” he said. “And therefore the biggest pain in this destruction is the fact that the same right hand of the government that built this place let the left hand destroy what it built. This hurts not only because they hurt three wonderful families. It hurts not only because they hurt a main artery of the entire settlement enterprise. It hurts because there is a terrible hilul hashem (a profanation of G-d's name) in it.”
Also speaking at the conference was Avi Ro’eh, Head of the Binyamin Local Council, who reiterated the most important message.
“We should strengthen all those with a weak mind and a weak belief and say that we’re not moving from here,” said Ro’eh. “It can be said that these are private lands or something or other. Even if all of it is true, at the end of the day this community has existed for more than 10 years, and a Jewish community that exists for ten years, it is unconceivable under any circumstances to evict it.”