Orit Strock
Orit StrockFlash 90

Former Jewish Home MK Orit Strock, a staunch fighter for the rights of Judea and Samaria communities and a resident of Hevron, wrote the following:

"The way the world works is those who have experienced a miracle very rarely even realize a miracle happened.

"And so, for the glory of Amona's heroic residents, and in deep gratitude to the Knesset members and ministers who invested their time, energy, and talent into making this historical moment happen,

"I will mention the Regulation Law's outstanding accomplishments (and until recently, I did not believe the Regulation Law would ever pass):

"It's not just removing the threat and legalizing thousands of Jewish homes, and it's not just about quitting the ugly game we've been forced to play with the Israeli Supreme Court. The law also brings good news.

For the first time:

1) The Knesset is the one deciding Judea and Samaria's future,

2) Israeli law recognizes Israelis in Judea and Samaria as "residents of the region,"

3) Israeli law recognizes Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria as a "public need,"

4) The Knesset recognizes Israel's responsibility for the many towns in Judea and Samaria which have not yet been legalized. Their residents are not "criminals" but citizens whose towns the State must legalize.

"None of this was even available to Amona's residents. There's no doubt that this law and its accomplishments have made history.

"It hurts to know that Amona's residents will not merit to reap the fruits of their own labors, and will have to make do with an upgraded version of the absentee property solution. (The upgraded version, at least, is much better than the previous versions. But still, we all hoped Amona's residents would be able to remain in their homes.)

"This is a crossroads which reminds us of the founding of the State of Israel, within its tiny 1948 borders. It was a huge historical milestone on the one hand, but it hurt that not everything we set out to do was accomplished.

"In my opinion, we must not allow the hurt (which definitely exists and deserves to be recognized) to prevent us from being happy and grateful for the historical milestone we have merited achieving."

On Sunday, Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reached an agreement regarding the Regulation Law, which prevents the Supreme Court decision on Amona from being a precedent for the destruction of other communities built with government aid on unused private land granted to Arabs, most of them untraceable, by Jordan's king during that country's illegal occupation of the area from 1949-1967.