The resignation of long-time settlement enterprise leader Pinchas Wallerstein has been greeted with a mixture of appreciation for his significant contributions and hopes that his successors will fight more strongly against government decrees.
He Didn't Read the Map Correctly
MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), leader of the National Union party: He has many great merits in building the Land of Israel, but his inappropriateness for this job at this time is evident in the headlines regarding his resignation. He is quoted all over as saying, 'The IDF must not be harmed' – instead of saying, 'The settlement enterprise must not be harmed.' He should have resigned after the destruction of Gush Katif, when the government took advantage of his weakness and confusion in not knowing what was the main thing and what was secondary.
"He did not consult with rabbis, did not read the map correctly, did not realize that the settlement public is strong and growing stronger and does not feel the need to apologize all the time. I am confident that a replacement will be found for him who will embody a love for the Land of Israel, for the IDF, for the settlements, for the Torah – for everything all at once, and not just for one part over the other.”
New Leadership is Required
MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said: “Pinchas Wallerstein’s resignation from the leadership of Yesha (Judea and Samaria) after a long period rich in his contributions and merits is another stage in the change in Yesha leadership, which began with the grave failure of the Disengagement. In the coming period, we can expect very difficult struggles, as the government of Israel intends to begin negotiations for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of Israel, or a second disengagement, a total freeze on construction, destruction of towns and expulsion of myriads of residents. In such a period, we need a new and different leadership.”
“This is the time to thank Wallerstein,” Eldad said, “for his long and dedicated service on behalf of the nation and the land, and to study the failures of the past, and to begin a new struggle.”
Binyamin Regional Council - Pinchas Built It
Veteran correspondent Haggai Huberman, a historian of the Yesha settlement enterprise who once edited the Binyamin Regional Council newspaper, told Israel National News: "The most populous regional council and one of the strongest regional councils fiscally, the Binyamin Regional Council - it's all Pinchas. He built it, and he kept it going, and he built up many of the companies there... Even during the intifada, when there were shootings, and travel problems, and all sorts of social problems as a result - he was involved in solving them. In addition, he was in the original settlement group that started the community of Ofra in the 1970's... I can tell you that Zambish [Ze'ev Chever, head of the Amanah Settlement Body] said he always loved working with him - and he didn't say that about everyone."
Preferred to Act, Not Yell
MK Uri Orbach (Jewish Home) said: “Wallerstein’s contribution to the settlement enterprise will be remembered for generations. Instead of provocative and vulgar yelling, he always preferred quiet and deep-rooted actions. I hope that the Yesha Council will be smart enough to find a worthy replacement.”
Come Join Me
MK Otniel Schneller, a fellow resident of Wallerstein in a southern Shomron community and also a former Yesha Council director, but who is now a Knesset Member of the centrist-left Kadima party, invited Wallerstein to join him: “I invite Pinchas to be a partner in the attempt to connect from outside the Yesha Council. He well understands the importance of connecting the settlement enterprise with the entire nation, and it is said that those who know how to make these links are leaving the settlement leadership. I invite him to join us in our public work.”
Time to Stop the National Retreat
David Ha'Ivri, director of the Shomron Liaison Office in the Shomron Regional Council, said: "Pinchas Wallerstein deserves much credit for building the Binyamin region, but his type of leadership totally failed in saving Gush Katif and the communities in northern Samaria that were demolished in the 2005 Disengagement. If we hope to prevent the Jews of Judea and Samaria from joining the homeless refugees of Gush Katif, we must bring about a change of leadership. It is time to revolutionize the Yesha Council and help it lead the way towards influencing national policy and stop the ongoing national retreat from our land and values."
No More "Love Will Win"
Itamar Ben-Gvir of Hevron, a veteran settlement activist, said, “I hope this symbolizes the end of the ‘I have love and it will win’ approach. Pinchas has many merits in fighting for and developing the Land of Israel, and Judea and Samaria, but we will win the fight against Netanyahu’s decrees only by fighting tooth-and-nail and not by compromising with this construction-freeze government.”