Benny Gantz
Benny GantzOlivier Fitoussi/Flash90

Defense Minister Benny Gantz stated that the Homesh Yeshiva must be demolished Monday, three days before the State is to submit its position on the status of the yeshiva to the Supreme Court.

"Homesh will be evacuated," Gantz said during the weekly Blue and White faction meeting. "This Disengagement Law requires this."

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also called for the demolition of the Homesh Yeshiva and claimed that "there should be no illegal places."

Yesterday, ten Knesset members from the Land of Israel Lobby visited the community of Homesh, located in north Samaria. The lobby is headed by MKs Orit Strook (Religious Zionism) and Yoav Kish (Likud).

Also accompanying the delegation on Sunday was MK Idit Silman (Yamina) who recently left the coalition, as well as Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.

During the course of their visit, the Knesset members met with members of the Homesh yeshiva and its dean, Rabbi Elishama Cohen.

This Wednesday, a bill canceling the Disengagement is due to come up for a Knesset vote, and it was also with this in mind that the MKs made their visit to Homesh.

After thanking the MKs for taking the time to visit Homesh, Dagan focused on the coalition's recent woes, stating that, "This government does not have a mandate to evacuate Homesh. This government is going to be replaced and we are going to protect Homesh until that happens.

"We came here today - a large group of MKs who represent a majority of our lawmakers - in order to embrace and identify with the pioneers of the Homesh yeshiva, headed by Rabbi Elishama Cohen," Dagan continued. "We are here to make a clear statement that the expulsion must be rectified. We are united in this demand, that the government take its hands off the Homesh yeshiva and that the community be rebuilt."

MK Yoav Kish stressed that, "Evacuating Homesh is a red line. The Land of Israel Lobby came here this morning to Homesh in order to encourage the pioneers here and say loud and clear: Evacuating Homesh is a capitulation to terrorism. We must not return to the errors of the Disengagement. Giving in and retreating only weaken Israel's security."

MK Orit Strook added, "We came to Homesh to proclaim loud and clear: This government does not have a mandate to evacuate Homesh. The Land of Israel Lobby in the Knesset represents a clear and decisive majority of Knesset members, a right-wing majority that also supports the bill to cancel the Disengagement in northern Samaria. We demand that the goverment prevent extreme left-wingers from disrupting the Homesh yeshiva at the end of this week, and that security forces use all the means at their disposal to do so, means which are wrongfully being directed against the Homesh yeshiva."