The rabbi of Amona, Rabbi Yair Frank, gave a spiritual pep talk to many of the assembled protestors at Amona early this afternoon.
"This is not a struggle only for the nine houses that the government wants to destroy," he said, "and not only for Amona. It is rather a struggle against the beginning of the Disengagement from all of Judea and Samaria."
"We understand now that when they talk of Disengagement, they mean first and foremost a disengagement from G-d and from the Torah and its commandments. The fight here in Amona is part of the struggle for the spiritual floor in the construction of the Land of Israel."
Rabbi Frank warned against violence directed at policemen and soldiers:
"Everyone who arrived here did so with the knowledge that they would adhere to the instructions of the community leadership."
Addressing the security forces charged with carrying out the actual evacuation of the protestors and the destruction of the buildings, Rabbi Frank said, "You come with clubs, tear gas, and being cynically used by the government - but we come in the name of ethics and sanctity."
The roofs of the nine houses slated for destruction are full of youths placing barbed wire and other obstacles in an attempt to push off the destruction.
In the afternoon hours, an army checkpoint was briefly put in place at the Assaf Junction leading from Beit El to Ofrah. Only people who were able to prove, or otherwise convince the soldiers, that they were not headed for Amona were being let through.
MK Uzi Landau (Likud) said today, "It is sad that the government wages policies based on ratings. In Israel 2006, it's popular to enforce the law only against the residents of Judea and Samaria, after the government turned them into a public enemy." He called on the protestors not to play into the government's hands during the evacuation.
Some 6,200 policemen and soldiers trained for several days at a base in the northern Negev for the Amona operation. The forces include elite units such as the Nachshon unit that is usually in charge of dispersing prison riots. Soldiers of the Engineering Corps are to blow up the buildings.
As Amona is a mountain-top community, with only one winding and narrow road leading to it, questions have been raised as to how the army plans to make its arrival to the area. It has been reported that the forces intend to first forcibly remove the thousands of protestors from the area. Only then will they proceed to Stage Two - the actual demolition of the buildings. The army hopes to complete the entire operation by Wednesday afternoon.
At least one incident of a refusal has been reported thus far. The personal driver of the IDF Deputy Battalion Commander responsible for the destruction refused orders to take part in the expulsion. He told his commanders that he is willing to stand trial for his decision. He was removed from the area, and is in fact expected to be tried.
"This is not a struggle only for the nine houses that the government wants to destroy," he said, "and not only for Amona. It is rather a struggle against the beginning of the Disengagement from all of Judea and Samaria."
"We understand now that when they talk of Disengagement, they mean first and foremost a disengagement from G-d and from the Torah and its commandments. The fight here in Amona is part of the struggle for the spiritual floor in the construction of the Land of Israel."
Rabbi Frank warned against violence directed at policemen and soldiers:
"Everyone who arrived here did so with the knowledge that they would adhere to the instructions of the community leadership."
Addressing the security forces charged with carrying out the actual evacuation of the protestors and the destruction of the buildings, Rabbi Frank said, "You come with clubs, tear gas, and being cynically used by the government - but we come in the name of ethics and sanctity."
The roofs of the nine houses slated for destruction are full of youths placing barbed wire and other obstacles in an attempt to push off the destruction.
In the afternoon hours, an army checkpoint was briefly put in place at the Assaf Junction leading from Beit El to Ofrah. Only people who were able to prove, or otherwise convince the soldiers, that they were not headed for Amona were being let through.
MK Uzi Landau (Likud) said today, "It is sad that the government wages policies based on ratings. In Israel 2006, it's popular to enforce the law only against the residents of Judea and Samaria, after the government turned them into a public enemy." He called on the protestors not to play into the government's hands during the evacuation.
Some 6,200 policemen and soldiers trained for several days at a base in the northern Negev for the Amona operation. The forces include elite units such as the Nachshon unit that is usually in charge of dispersing prison riots. Soldiers of the Engineering Corps are to blow up the buildings.
As Amona is a mountain-top community, with only one winding and narrow road leading to it, questions have been raised as to how the army plans to make its arrival to the area. It has been reported that the forces intend to first forcibly remove the thousands of protestors from the area. Only then will they proceed to Stage Two - the actual demolition of the buildings. The army hopes to complete the entire operation by Wednesday afternoon.
At least one incident of a refusal has been reported thus far. The personal driver of the IDF Deputy Battalion Commander responsible for the destruction refused orders to take part in the expulsion. He told his commanders that he is willing to stand trial for his decision. He was removed from the area, and is in fact expected to be tried.