At a conference organized by the Rabbi Kook House and the Hebrew weekly Besheva, Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) was a keynote speaker and referred to a number of issues in his speech, including the regulation law which would legalize Amona and prevent the demolition of part of the community's houses.
"The Torah of the land of Israel is our Torah. I didn't study at Merkaz Harav (the flagship religious Zionist yeshiva founded by Rabbi Kook, ed.) but I did whatever I could to cleave to those who came from that Bet Midrash. Rabbi Kook's words are to be found all over the land of Israel and blaze a path for the Torah, the nation, and the country.
He referred to the issue of the two-state solution and said "Between the sea and the Jordan there is one sovereignty and that is the state of Israel. In these days when there is talk of two states and two nations, it is important to emphasize that 'He who comes to kill you- rise and kill him first.' Anyone who thinks that he can sneak into Efrat and attack civilians and soldiers is mistaken. We have to educate our children and youth to act according to this principle, as otherwise 'He who has mercy on cruel people will be cruel to merciful people.'"
Ariel also referred to the Shabbat debate and said: 'We need the guidance of our rabbis. This is not just a question for politicians. It is a subject which is at the heart of Judaism and of the land of Israel's identity. Numerous people desecrate the Shabbat unnecessarily and not for life-saving reasons. Not every police officer can decide what is life-threatening. A reporter said to me:'You also have members of the Agriculture Ministry working on Shabbat.' I checked and found that he was right and I'm now doing a comprehensive study to see whether our inspectors need to work on Shabbat. If you ask me, I'm not sure it's a classic case of lifesaving activity. Without being a rabbi I could say that, but the matter needs clarification in my own Ministry before I relate to other ministries."
In his concluding remarks, Ariel referred to the Regulation Law. "It's time that the Regulation Law was passed. The law was first suggested 6 years ago by my friend and mentor Yaakov Katz ('Ketzele' former MK and head of the Ichud Leumi party). The Prime Minister promised then that for every house demolished ten would be built. Have they begun building them? Not yet. Can we agree to evacuate Amona and Netiv Ha'Avot? The answer is no. The Regulation Law must be passed and we must legalize all of the houses and communities in Judea and Samaria. I hope that in this session the law will pass and that if somebody petitions the High Court [against the law], we will win."