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1. Jewish Growth in Judea/Samaria Tops the Charts
by Hillel Fendel
The number of Jews in Judea and Samaria has grown to 313,000 – double the growth rate of the rest of Israel – according to the latest Civil Administration report.
The Civil Administration report, as quoted by Haaretz, shows that the population in Judea and Samaria grew in the past half-year by 2.75%, and by 5.1% in the past year, and now stands at 312,940. A large part of the growth is due to the hareidi-religious cities of Beitar Illit (6.3%) and Modiin Illit (9,8%) - but even without those cities, Yesha’s growth rate of 3.8% more than doubles that of the rest of Israel, which stands at 1.7%.
Two-thirds of the towns in Yesha grew at a higher rate than the rest of Israel (see below).
MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), one of the original driving forces in the early years of the settlement enterprise, both as top aide to then-Housing Minister Ariel Sharon and as one of the founding members of Beit El, said it's just another step in the glorious return of the Nation of Israel to the Land of Israel.
“The steeply-climbing number of Jews living in Judea and Samaria joins the 300,000 Jews in the neighborhoods of Jerusalem over the Green Line,” Katz said, “and is proof that the eternality of the Nation of Israel is much stronger than the freeze decrees of a weak prime minister who violates his promises. We guarantee that the hundreds of thousands of Jews in Yesha will continue to multiply and will reach into the millions.”
Ketzaleh noted the disproportionate national contributions of the Yesha population: “The pioneers of Yesha already make up the backbone of the commanding echelons in the IDF, as well as the main educational institutions of the country: the Hesder yeshivot, the pre-military academies, the ulpanot [girls’ yeshiva high school, and the university in Ariel. They are the supporting column of Israeli society. In every generation, G-d gives us heroes who lead us, from the Maccabim, to the pioneers of the Land of Israel of 100 years ago, and up to the settlers of today. These groups are the torch-bearers of the nation’s most internal values: Torah, Nation, Land. They will emerge victorious over the current prime minister and his attempts to humiliate them.”
Sample populations in Judea and Samaria and their growth rate over the past half-year:
Shomron Regional Council – 25,875, up 3.75%
Binyamin Regional Council (Israel’s largest) – 47,636, up 2.5%
Mt. Hevron Regional Council – 5,909, up 3.8%
Gush Etzion Regional Council – 15,818, up 3.5%
Maaleh Adumim – 36,508, up 2.1%
Alfei Menashe – 7,338, up 3.2%
Ariel – 18,264, up 1%
Efrat – 8,674, up 2.4%
Elkanah – 3,460, up 2.4%
Kedumim – 3,840, up 1%
Kiryat Arba – 6,774, up 1%
2. Jerusalem: Violence Keeps Law Inspectors Away
by Hillel Fendel
The head of the Construction Supervision Department in the Jerusalem Municipality admits that the city does not enforce building laws in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan because of “fears of violence.”
“For reasons of security limitations,” wrote Ophir May in response to a query on the topic, “I am not able to maintain effective law enforcement in the Silwan [Shiloac neighborhood, and therefore many construction violations there are not dealt with.”
Silwan, consisting of hundreds of Arab homes built illegally over the last several decades, is also home to Beit Yehonatan – a Jewish-owned building that exceeds the accepted height limit in the area by one and a half stories. Outgoing Attorney General Menachem Mazuz demanded last month that the building be razed, as did State Prosecutor Moshe Lador. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, however, is resisting their prodding in order to find a blanket solution for the problem of illegal construction in the entire neighborhood.
“Every patrol in the neighborhood leads to rioting, rock-throwing and disturbances,” May wrote, explaining why zoning laws are not enforced there.
Border Police in Silwan after a violent incident last year / Israel news photo: Flash 90
3. Silvan Shalom: Fayyad Obstacle to Peace, Wants to Replace Abbas
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told the Herzliya Conference on Monday that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Fayyad’s about-face is "an obstacle to peace," and occured because he is currying favor with Fatah with the goal of replacing Mahmoud Abbas.
“Fayyad would like to replace Abbas and wants the support of activists in Fatah," Shalom said, "and that is why he is not willing to engage with Israel even though he knows this would help the PA economy."
Fayyad began his term as Prime Minister eager to cooperate with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s plan for “economic peace” that would provide the PA with stability to support an independent state in the future. But, Shalom said, Fayyad’s attitude has recently changed for the worse. “I have met with him many times, and he was willing to make moves for peace," Shalom told the annual conference on national affairs. "He has changed his attitude because he is under pressure for not being part of Fatah and for being suspected of being an American agent.”
The Vice Prime Minister pointed out that Fayyad (at left in ) recently appeared at a bonfire where he helped burn tens of thousands of dollars ophotof Jewish goods from Judea and Samaria, stating that the PA is boycotting them. “He knows that 25,000 Arabs work in Judea and Samaria, so something else is behind this move,” Shalom explained.
He also revealed that he recently met with a PA trade minister, who was immediately forced to quit, indicating a general refusal by Fayyad as well as Abbas to resume talks with Israel.
Shalom charged that the PA is “putting on a front of making concessions without making any real ones. What needs to be done is for the Americans to say to them, ‘Do you want peace or just the process?’
“I think it is too late. The PA does not want anything positive.”
4. Public Warned to Stay Away from Beaches, Explosive Barrels Found
by Gil Ronen
Police warned the public to stay away from Israel's southern beaches Monday after barrels containing explosives washed up at two locations.
Security forces sealed off a section of the beach Monday at Ashkelon after a barrel with an explosive charge was discovered near the waterline. Police say the explosive was meant for a terror attack.
At about 11:00 AM, an alert citizen called the police hotline and notified police of the suspicious barrel, about 500 meters away from the Holiday Inn hotel. Large police forces, comprised mostly of bomb sappers, were alerted to the scene. A special HQ was set up under the command of Brig.-Gen. Alon Levavi.
In an improvised news conference, Lt.-Col. Chaim Blumenfeld, Ashkelon Police Station Commander, said that police assume the explosives were meant to reach Gaza. “We see a classic case here of an alert citizen who took the trouble of calling the police and thanks to the fact that he did not touch the bomb we averted at event that could have reached very wide proportions.”
Blumenfeld confirmed that the explosive charge was ready for detonation and that the event was security-related, not criminal-related. There were reports of additional charges but police forces, including mounted police, combed the beach and found no other charges. The explosive charge has been neutralized and it is being examined in a special police laboratory. A gag order has been placed on the publication of further details at this time.
Later Monday a suspicious barrel was discovered at Ashdod's Arches Beach (Hof HaKeshatot) after it had washed up there. The area was closed to traffic and police on the ground combed the area, assisted by a police helicopter, naval police and other naval forces.
5. Air-Mule will Help IDF Medical Rescue Teams
by Gil Ronen
The IDF's inventive powers have produced the Air Mule: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which assists medical rescue and evacuation teams, which has recently passed its initial flight tests.
Despite its name and bulky – if not downright ugly – outward appearance, the UAV is quite an agile performer: IDF journal BaMachaneh reported that the new UAV, which weighs a ton, will be able to carry equipment and fly into zones where navigation is challenging, such as high-rise neighborhoods in urban areas and natural crevices. In addition, the Air-Mule takes off vertically, like a helicopter, and its stability will be guaranteed by a unique flight supervision system.
Propellors inside
Urban Aeronautics, UAV's manufacturer, is one of the world's leading companies in the development of propellers which are installed inside the aircraft instead of outside. The advantage of this is that it allows the aircraft to carry out a wider range of operations in narrow places – as opposed to conventional airplanes and helicopters which can only operate in open areas.
"The number one cause of aerial accidents is damage caused to the rotor, and we managed to overcome this obstacle," the CEO of Urban Aeronautics, Dr. Rafi Yoeli, told BaMachaneh.
The technological devices included in the Air-Mule give it additional abilities: Two laser sensors indicate the flight altitude, and modern technology allows the operators to receive real time information on the activity of the Air-Mule's motor.
During the tests, the Air-Mule succeeded in overcoming difficult weather conditions, and the test team was very satisfied with its flight abilities during a storm that occurred at the test area. It is currently undergoing additional tests to further examine its stability and its ability to fly between two pre-defined locations.
6. Video: Exclusive Visit to Beit Yehonatan
by Hillel Fendel
An Arutz-7 correspondent was taken on an exclusive guided tour on Monday of the Silwan (Shiloah) neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem, and particularly the now-famous Beit Yehonatan building there.
Arutz-7’s Hizky Ezra filmed dozens of illegal Arab structures in the neighborhood, among them two massive apartment buildings, against which many demolition orders have been issued – but not carried out. Beit Yehonatan, on the other hand, has been the subject of irate letters from the State Prosecutor and outgoing Attorney-General, who demand that the municipality seal or destroy it at once. The eight families living there are far from giving up.
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The video begins with a drive to Beit Yehonatan (named for Jonathan Pollard) in a reinforced security force vehicle, with the guide pointing out the glut of illegal Arab structures along the way. The guide, who insisted on remaining unidentified and unphotographed, is a member of one of the eight families living in the building.
He noted that the Jewish presence in the neighborhood was vibrant and dynamic beginning in 1882, when Yemenite families began arriving in what became known as the Yemenite Village. Jewish life there was cut off, however, in 1938, when the British evicted the families to protect them from murderous Arab mobs. “We returned in 2004,” the man said, “and Jewish life here has become vibrant and joyous once again.”
Though signs of firebomb attacks on Beit Yehonatan can be seen (0:50 on the video), “the police have begun operating more actively here, and we thank them.”
Eight families live there, and another one in nearby Beit Dvash, and 15 students study in a kollel (1:35) in Beit Yehonatan.
See below for a 2004 video of a "return" of descendants of the original Yemenite settlers.
At 1:50, the guide relates that family names are not posted on the doors, “because the city’s legal counsel, Yossi Havilio, is pursuing us – even though we are not the owners of the building, as he knows, but he can’t find the owner, so he tries to take action against us. One apartment has already been sealed up – after dozens of special Yassam unit police officers arrived and closed off the road for this special operation to seal up one Jewish apartment! And now we hear that the city doesn’t have enough manpower to enforce laws against all the illegal Arab construction around here for fear of Arab violence!”
At 2:50, the video shows the children’s “playground” inside Beit Yehonatan, as it is not easy for the children to go outside and play, and at 3:18, the camera focuses on the extraordinary view of the Temple Mount from the roof of Beit Yehonatan.
“You can see the Shiloah pool below, and the City of David, and above them the Temple Mount, and Mt. Zion to the left,” the guide says. “We are actually the human buffer between the Temple Mount and the PA-controlled Abu Dis neighborhood, making sure that Jerusalem does not fall into foreign hands.”
At 4:10, the proliferation of illegal Arab construction is seen, particularly two giant Arab apartment buildings: “The builder, Ahmed Sheikh, fled because of his heavy debts, but not before he managed to keep adding on floors to these buildings by asking for delays on the stop-work orders against him… And now no action has been taken against these monstrosities.”
At 5:10, the camera shows some of the original Yemenite Village buildings, and at 5:36, the sound of Torah study is heard on the backdrop of the nearby muezzin’s call.
“I can’t understand why people sometimes ask me why we insist on living here,” the man says. “This is Jerusalem, a neighborhood full of Jewish and Zionist history, and with G-d’s help we will remain here, grow stronger and expand further.”
In 2004, INN's Yoni Kempinski filmed a joyous "return" of descendants of the original Yemenite settlers to their grandparents' homes:
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7. Knesset Committees Debate Refusal of Army Orders
by Hillel Fendel
Two Knesset committees – Foreign Affairs/Defense and Education – held a joint session on Monday to discuss the increasingly common phenomenon of refusal of military orders.
In the past, refusal in Israel was traditionally identified with the left-wing. In early 2002, for instance, the "Courage to Refuse" movement released a letter signed by 570 reserve soldiers and officers who refused to serve in Judea and Samaria. Over a year later, a group of Israel Air Force pilots announced their refusal to carry out air strikes there. In December '03, 13 reserve soldiers and officers who had served in the the elite Sayeret Matkal unit signed a letter declaring their refusal to serve in those territories.
Of late, however, refusal has come from the nationalist-religious end of the spectrum, because of the proliferation of “evict and demolish” orders issued against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. In 2005, thousands of Israelis signed a petition saying they would refuse to uproot Israeli towns in the Disengagement/expulsion. Many individual soldiers, in fact, refused such orders, and were punished with jail time and demotions.
The phenomenon has gained steam with the continued issuance of demolish-and-expel orders against Jewish outposts and their residents - and reached the top of the headlines several weeks ago with the ejection of Yeshivat Har Bracha from the Hesder program because, inter alia, of remarks by its Dean, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, promoting the refusal of such orders.
Chairman Orlev: Refusal is a Fact of Life
MK Zevulun Orlev, who heads the Knesset Education Committee, chaired the joint session, and introduced it by saying, “Refusal in the IDF is a fact of life that is found in all population sectors. Such a session as the one we are holding now could not have occurred 20 years ago, but unfortunately the polarization in our society and the disputes in the State of Israel have led us to hold this session today – itself teaching us that we have a problem; there is no point in hiding it or covering it up.”
Heshin and Ketzaleh Spar
Retired Supreme Court Justice Mishael Heshin said, “Refusal of a demolition order destroys the army... If the ‘black flag of illegality’ waves over an order, then it must not be fulfilled. But the State did not wave such a flag over participation in the outer rings of a [demolition-and-expulsio operation… Personal refusal is one thing, but refusal of an entire sector is a contagious disease. It leads to the minority taking control over the larger group.”
At this point, MK Katz interrupted: “You mean like in the Supreme Court.”
Silence ensued for several moments, until Heshin – a former Deputy Chief Justice on the Supreme Court – took off his glasses and said to Katz, “Abraham received the angels more warmly than you are receiving me here in the Knesset.”
Minister Saar
Education Minister Gideon Saar said, “Refusal endangers ourability to run a democratic regime, with the political echelons setting policy and the military fulfilling the orders without hesitation.”
Rabbi Stav: Religious Refusal is Different
Rabbi David Stav, head of the Hesder Yeshiva in Petach Tikvah, said the issue today is not political refusal, but rather refusal to fulfill orders that negate one’s religious principles: “I am against political refusal. But of late we have been dealing with a collision between religious principles and democratic issues. Questions of values and of politics don’t always go hand-in-hand, and there are some issues of values that we do not ask the soldier to give up on – just as we don’t ask him to give up on Sabbath observance when he’s in the army.”
“I would expect a soldier to refuse orders to hit a Jew or an Arab for no reason, or to expel a person from his home if he has no place to go to.”
“There is a dispute among rabbis as to whether such orders directly contravene Jewish Law or not,” Rabbi Stav said. “But a way has to be found to ensure that soldiers are not forced to feel that they are violating their religious beliefs.”
In June 2004, MK Aryeh Eldad and then-MK Effie Eitam (National Union) initiated a bill banning the use of soldiers in the removal of Jewish settlement spots. Nothing came of this initiative, or of subsequent others like it.
Chief IDF Education Officer Brig.-Gen. Eli Shermeister attempted to pour cold water on the debate, telling the MKs that the problem was not as widespread as feared: “Despite the many different opinions among the soldiers, the phenomenon of refusal in the IDF is marginal… We expect that the soldiers leave the political disputes outside the military arena.”
Extremist left-wing reporter Gideon Levy, of Haaretz, said he admires those who refuse orders for reasons of conscience and are willing to pay the price – even those in the nationalist camp. “I don’t think that refusal is a danger to the army,” Levy said. “The IDF is strong enough to deal with it.”
