This evening an emergency convention took place in the community of Ofra, with the participation of Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked.
The Ministers met with activists for Amona and with dozens of Ofra residents, in order to discuss solutions for saving Amona from imminent destruction.
Bennett introduced what he called “the two-brick process” that he will bring to the government: “We as a party are dealing with the educational infrastructure, the legal system and security. We entered the government in order to effect change and deal with burning issues, like preventing the freeing of terrorists, [instituting] the Referendum Law (which obligates a referendum for deals involving the relinquishing of parts of the Land of Israel), and other things - but we’re not stopping. There are many live issues, the first of which is Amona and the nine additional houses [in Ofra], and after that - the entire settlement issue. We are taking responsibility.”
Bennett said that "the first brick requires tackling the root of the problem which is the previous government decisions that any building on private land must be razed. This was the yardstick which prevailed until now and this is what we must fight to change. The second brick requires the construction of a fortification against the threat hanging over the entire settlement community. He said that "we may lose this particular battle, but there are other battles in the future."
Bennett conceded that he and his colleagues might not be able to influence the present situation in Amona. "We have 8 mandates and we can't see how we there is a legal way to save these houses. When we will have 30 mandates we could do what Begin did with the Golan law and change the laws of the game."
He added that "We are the fathers and mothers of the families living in the houses slated for destruction and therefore we have to find a solution so that on that terrible night they will have where to place their heads. I know this is not what you hoped to hear, but I must tell you the truth.
"On Friday there will be a UN security council meeting over the communities of Judea and Samaria. This is a very sensitive period but we will still go for it. I said to the Prime Minister if we will not succeed in changing the decisions of previous governments, we have to push the Regulation Law," added Bennett.
Justice Minister Shaked vetoed the possibility of leaving the government, since the Jewish Home is promoting a large number of things within the government and it would not be beneficial to leave the government at this point.
The Rabbi of Ofra, Avi Gisser, who opened the convention, said that "after 50 years it's time to add to the settlement enterprise a stamp of permanence. Everyone understands that it is time to support the foundations of this enterprise and that, as long as the status and importance of this enterprise is not understood, no Jewish community can be established in the land of Israel.
Zeev 'Zembish" Chever, one of the leaders of the Judean and Samarian communities, added that "there are disagreements between us, but everyone here intends to strengthen the settlement enterprise."
Some Ofra residents did not like Bennett's words and said, "if it was a Haredi or Arab community they would be afraid to act in this manner. Only because we are a faithful community they feel that they can destroy and ruin our places."
They added that "If they will destroy houses in the center of Ofra, Bennett's dream of 30 mandates will never come true.