Rabbi Dov Lior of Kiryat Arba praised the "hilltop youth," recounted the miracles of 1967, and said that it is not too late to fix the mistakes made after that war:
"The Torah of Israel does not govern only our lives as individuals, but also governs our national life. We are commanded to conquer this land, and to fight for it - especially when it is already in our hands! … The way to guarantee our peace and safety is via the Jews living all over our land - not by giving away the land to the terrorists! The opposite is true; whatever we give away increases the danger! Some say that a concrete wall will protect us - but what we really need is for the settlements to get larger, a living fence of youth on all our hilltops! That is the fence that we need!
"I call upon the leaders to draw strength from our youth and settle the entire land and impose our sovereignty all over our land! This is the mistake we made in 1967, that we did not settle all these areas. But it can still be repaired - if the government of Israel will get the courage to announce clearly, without stuttering, that this is Our Land, all of it! - and not to say things in order to find favor in the eyes of diplomats.
"This is no conquest; it's our Land, and in 1967, with G-d's Providence, we liberated these areas! In one of the most wondrous wars, in a very short time, the IDF was able to destroy the neighboring air forces, and our armor reached the Suez Canal within a few days. This was a great Sanctification of G-d-'s Name - and if we were able to do that, then certainly, if we want to, we can keep it - for it is ours! The honest people of the world know this as well - we simply have to state it openly and not to be afraid. Enough diplomacy - we have to say the truth openly! …
"In wartime, we are commanded not to fear. If, after 2,000 years of exile and persecution, we were able to hold on, and even withstand the terrible Holocaust, and then return to our Land and declare our independence, and then 19 years later, we merited the return of the second half of our Land, the heart of our land - then certainly Am Yisrael has the strength to hold on to it. It's not true to say that we have no strength - we have it, and we will know that it is a Divine command not to fear! …
It's not just the Land of Israel - also the Temple Mount! How can we allow it to be abandoned to foreigners? How can we detach ourselves from Hevron, the Machpelah Cave, the tombs of Rachel and Joseph, all the places in our past - from where we draw our strength! The healthy youth who are here now are bonded to these places with all their soul, and they derive their strength for the future from it!
Keeping these places is not a burden - it's a strategic asset for the State of Israel! … Let us pray that G-d strengthen our leaders to hold on to these places with pride and firmly, and in this way we will bring peace closer, Amen."
Rabbi Chaim Druckman said,
"The true road map is that which leads to the Redemption of Israel, to the building of Eretz Yisrael, and to true peace. We are approaching the holiday of Shavuot, the holiday in which we received the Torah that states that G-d gave the entire Land of Israel to the people of Israel. This is the eternal truth that will certainly defeat everything else…
"He who sticks a knife into the heart of Eretz Yisrael, sticks it into the heart of the nation. Whoever is wiling to talk about evacuating Jews from their homes in Eretz Yisrael causes a split in the nation...
"We are going through difficult times, but we must remember that the Nation, the Land, and the Torah are eternal, and the connection between them is eternal. There may be some temporary weakness - but we must remember that there are many thoughts of man, but that the counsel of Hashem will stand. Hashem chose us, and He will not abandon us - we remember this even in the difficult times. We will be strong and continue to build, and this plan like all the others will be thrown into the garbage can of history. AM YISRAEL CHAI (the Nation of Israel lives)!!"
"The Torah of Israel does not govern only our lives as individuals, but also governs our national life. We are commanded to conquer this land, and to fight for it - especially when it is already in our hands! … The way to guarantee our peace and safety is via the Jews living all over our land - not by giving away the land to the terrorists! The opposite is true; whatever we give away increases the danger! Some say that a concrete wall will protect us - but what we really need is for the settlements to get larger, a living fence of youth on all our hilltops! That is the fence that we need!
"I call upon the leaders to draw strength from our youth and settle the entire land and impose our sovereignty all over our land! This is the mistake we made in 1967, that we did not settle all these areas. But it can still be repaired - if the government of Israel will get the courage to announce clearly, without stuttering, that this is Our Land, all of it! - and not to say things in order to find favor in the eyes of diplomats.
"This is no conquest; it's our Land, and in 1967, with G-d's Providence, we liberated these areas! In one of the most wondrous wars, in a very short time, the IDF was able to destroy the neighboring air forces, and our armor reached the Suez Canal within a few days. This was a great Sanctification of G-d-'s Name - and if we were able to do that, then certainly, if we want to, we can keep it - for it is ours! The honest people of the world know this as well - we simply have to state it openly and not to be afraid. Enough diplomacy - we have to say the truth openly! …
"In wartime, we are commanded not to fear. If, after 2,000 years of exile and persecution, we were able to hold on, and even withstand the terrible Holocaust, and then return to our Land and declare our independence, and then 19 years later, we merited the return of the second half of our Land, the heart of our land - then certainly Am Yisrael has the strength to hold on to it. It's not true to say that we have no strength - we have it, and we will know that it is a Divine command not to fear! …
It's not just the Land of Israel - also the Temple Mount! How can we allow it to be abandoned to foreigners? How can we detach ourselves from Hevron, the Machpelah Cave, the tombs of Rachel and Joseph, all the places in our past - from where we draw our strength! The healthy youth who are here now are bonded to these places with all their soul, and they derive their strength for the future from it!
Keeping these places is not a burden - it's a strategic asset for the State of Israel! … Let us pray that G-d strengthen our leaders to hold on to these places with pride and firmly, and in this way we will bring peace closer, Amen."
Rabbi Chaim Druckman said,
"The true road map is that which leads to the Redemption of Israel, to the building of Eretz Yisrael, and to true peace. We are approaching the holiday of Shavuot, the holiday in which we received the Torah that states that G-d gave the entire Land of Israel to the people of Israel. This is the eternal truth that will certainly defeat everything else…
"He who sticks a knife into the heart of Eretz Yisrael, sticks it into the heart of the nation. Whoever is wiling to talk about evacuating Jews from their homes in Eretz Yisrael causes a split in the nation...
"We are going through difficult times, but we must remember that the Nation, the Land, and the Torah are eternal, and the connection between them is eternal. There may be some temporary weakness - but we must remember that there are many thoughts of man, but that the counsel of Hashem will stand. Hashem chose us, and He will not abandon us - we remember this even in the difficult times. We will be strong and continue to build, and this plan like all the others will be thrown into the garbage can of history. AM YISRAEL CHAI (the Nation of Israel lives)!!"