The answer to the question posed in the title is: “That would be unthinkable/” However, when we read Arutz 7 news just this morning, Friday October 15, as we do every day, we were shocked by the news.
The headlines are shocking: “The Arabic neighborhood called Lana (“Ours” in Arabic) will be built and founded north of Beit Hanina; a senior American official reported that they continue the American activity to open a US consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinian Arabs, the American President makes it clear that his solution to the conflict is the idea of two states and he speaks of returning to the agreement with Iran.
We may assume, with some degree of certainty, that under the leadership of current Prime minister Naftali Bennett, these ideas will not come to fruition, but someone is already working and preparing the infrastructure for the day when Bennett’s term ends, and it is no other than Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
When Lapid begins his term as prime minister.. within a short time, on the basis of the framework that he is preparing right now, he will be able to make history – in his eyes and in the eyes of the Left.
Lapid skips among world capitals, meets with diplomats and world leaders for discussions and meetings on policies that are nothing but preliminary preparation for the day when he begins his term as prime minister. Then, within a short time, on the basis of the framework that Lapid is preparing right now, he will be able to make history – in his eyes and in the eyes of the Left.
It seems that despite the promises to establish a government that will promote only civil matters that are not controversial, despite the forgotten slogan that “If it’s not Corona, it’s not interesting,” the Leftist elements in the government have gone out of control.
The Foreign Minister’s travels throughout the world, Meretz ministers’ meetings with the terror funder Abu Mazen, the Defense Minister’s meeting with the same Abu Mazen and the promises he made to him, the overtures toward the Gaza Strip, all of these things tell us that there are political processes happening under the surface.
The Prime Minister must take control of the steering wheel and stop these ministers from advancing this agenda.
In his meeting with Angela Merkel, Naftali Bennett stood strong and declared aloud that “A Palestinian state shall not arise”. Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked also said this in her visit to the Emirates. These statements are important but are not enough.
We, the residents and activists who live in the area itself, view the Arabs’ accelerated pace of building with great disappointment and sorrow. They are building a Palestinian state de facto.
True, this is not a new phenomenon – it has been going on for more than a decade, led, orchestrated and well-timed by the PA, which is determining facts on the ground according to the Fayyad plan to build a Palestinian state in the area, even without Israeli consent, but the pace of the building has increased and continues to increase due to American and international backing for the PA.
The illegal Arab takeover of Area C was supposed to have been thwarted under Naftali Bennett’s government, it was not supposed to bloom and flourish in the monstrous dimensions that we see today.
Hundreds of illegal villas are being built by the Arabs all along Route 60 from Samaria to South Hevron Hills (by the way, one may view these villas as further evidence of the ”economic misery” suffered by the Arabs living in Judea and Samaria, under “the terrible 'occupation'”).
It is worth remembering and reminding the Prime Minister and ministers of Yamina and Tikvah Hadasha of the text of Article 33 of the coalition agreement: “The parties agree that national interests in Area C must be ensured. To this end, standards and resources will be allocated to the Civil Administration toward the goals of enforcing the building laws and stopping the illegal takeover of lands in Area C."
We must not allow ourselves to become used to these scenes of the unrestrained Arab takeover of our Land; we must not restrain our response in the face of the Arab erosion and eating away at the open spaces of our homeland.
Every yeshiva, ulpana, youth movement, high yeshiva, midrasha or organization to which the Land of Israel is important, must make a break from the daily routine of our comfortable lives and engage in activities to stop the Arab takeover of Area C and archaeological heritage sites that belong to us all.
With such activism, we must make clear to the Prime Minister that there is unrest and pain, that the right-wing people all over Israel demand that he and the right-wing ministers stand strong to defend the Land of Israel from those who seek to tear it away from us.
We must get organized and go out into the field to prove our sovereignty over our Land and especially, over our eternal capital, Jerusalem, which is at the center of the conflict.
Massive Jewish construction in Jerusalem is what is required now. We must expand the borders of Jerusalem in every direction and turn it into a metropolis, which will have a tremendous spiritual and cultural influence for the entire Land and the entire People.
Jerusalem is what will stop the establishment of another state in the heart of the Land.
No Arab leader would agree to a Palestinian state without Jerusalem and without fulfilling the demand for the return [of “refugees”].
We must strengthen the national consensus on Jerusalem and make it clear that this consensus must include Jerusalem with all of its neighborhoods, both Jewish and Arab, all of the territory that was outlined as a result of the Six Day War. The problematic demographics of the city must be balanced by adding many towns surrounding Jerusalem.
And for all of this to happen, we cannot wait for politicians. We must take the first steps toward the goal:
a. Go out into the field – set up action committees to patrol and guard the settlement’s land reserves.
b. Wage a battle for consciousness over Greater Jerusalem with conferences, publications, vigils and demonstrations of solidarity and encouragement and more
c. Continue the battle for consciousness in the media, social networks, in the street and vis-à-vis decision-makers for sovereignty and governance in the entire Land.
“Silence is shameful” and silence also testifies to the terrible confusion currently reigning in our camp.
Our energetic and resolute return to activity in the field will restore our strength, our power and aspirations and especially, waken anew, the beating spirit of Zionism within us all.
“A dream does not become reality by magic. It demands sweat, resolution and hard work” (C.P.)
With G-d’s help, we will act and we will succeed
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar founded the grassroots organizations Women in Green and The Sovereignty Movement.