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Rabbi Dov Abraham Ben-Shorr , originally from Cleveland, Ohio, lives with his family in a small community in the Hebron Hills. He is the founder and dean of Beith David Yeshiva. He also a writer, shohet (ritual slaughterer), mohel (circumcision), and Sofer Stam (Scribe).
www.beithdavid.org
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By Rabbi Dov Abraham Ben-Shorr
March 2, 2005
The State of Israel is facing one of its most critical crises since its inception, and the Nation of Israel is facing one of its most dangerous challenges to its identity as a nation its connection as a nation to HaShem and their covenant with Him. As the two sides of this "debate" position themselves, we witness a very interesting dynamic.
Let me see if I got this straight:
One side has disenfranchised the entire heroic settler community, besmirched them in the media (with plenty of cooperation from that "unbiased" pillar of free speech itself), silenced them, marginalized them, and delegitimized them.
While the other side has conducted several very nice, calm, civilized demonstrations out of view from most of the country, out back behind the Knesset, regularly issuing apologies for any misunderstandings and stressing their loyalty to the state that has turned its back on them..
One side has prepared and trained a special elite army unit, Sayerit 17, for all the problem cases in an evacuation. They've built a special training base modeled after a typical settlement village, and begun vigorous training, (both ideologically and practically) for the expulsion of Jews from their home. Including pregnant woman and small children.
While the other side has carefully conducted a wonderful campaign to "paint the country orange" by hanging small little orange flags from as many cars as possible. They've also spent a lot of time and money suggesting for anyone to hear, that this plan of expulsion is wrong, if not a tad bit illegal and immoral, though they continually qualify their remarks that they don't think that the people who conceived or support these plans to expel Jews from their home are illegitimate or immoral in any way, and they apologize if there words were taken the wrong way.
The one side has offered immunity, before the fact, of all police officers accused of excessive force or violence during the expulsion.
The other side has pledged not to "cross any red lines," and that if the inevitable expulsion of Jews from their homes comes they will do everything to stop it, short of resisting, and no matter how many times the police beat them, the promise never to raise even their voices in insult at those who would disenfranchise them from their home.
The one side has made every attempt to stifle all opposition. They have brought legal action against any one who would suggest in public that this plan is illegal, immoral and corrupt, or who would advocate taking concrete steps that might actually delay or derail this crime against the Jewish People.
While the other side has made every effort to conduct "dialogue," and make "solidarity visits," with individuals who have betrayed their own rabbis, their community and their G-d. Yet, after all, reasons this side, "we wouldn't want to be thought of as extremists, G-d forbid. For, it seems being labeled an extremist is worse than being expelled from one's one, placing the state in mortal jeopardy or being a party to national suicide.
The one side has threatened "administrative detention," incarceration without any evidence, legal protection or recourse to all those deemed a "security threat. Even the president has recently spoken favorably of the concept. In addition, there have been several staged events against government officials to make it look like such detentions must be necessary.
While the other side apologizes for anything that might be misconstrued, hangs up a few more orange flags and pledges to weed out extremists from their midst, declaring that they would never cross any of those dangerous red lines, no, not ever. In other words, the message that that one side ends up hearing is, "Go a head, do your worst, and we'll ? we'll ? well; we'll roll over and let you."
One side is planning for war.
The other is trying to win a popularity contest.
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Excuse me for pointing out the obvious, but this so-called government of the people has already crossed all red lines in their extremist plans. They've incited the nation to civil war by planning to commit one of the most violent acts possible against their own people. In my opinion, all blame and responsibility for what will follow falls squarely on their shoulders.
Forcibly removing innocent, if not heroic, citizens from their home against their will is a violent and criminal act. When it is done against an individual, it is criminal; when it is perpetrated against an entire community or certain sector of society, it is tantamount to a declaration of war against that same community, and it should be responded to appropriately.
Preparations need to be made. In truth they needed to be made for some time. Instead of pouring shekel after shekel on useless rallies (we saw how well the largest demonstration in Israel's history deterred Oslo), they should be used to buy supplies of food and water for hundreds of thousands of people that, G-d Willing, will arrive in Gush Katif and the Shomron communities when the government advances to expel the residents.
Bomb shelters, gas masks, and generators need to be prepared to withstand a long siege. Tunnels need to be dug; walls and fencing need to be reinforced. People need to be supplied with small video cameras to record atrocities (yes, I'm using the correct word) by the "authorities," and a method needs to be found to maintain contact with the outside world when the government forces disable cellular phones and cut other lines of communication.
We could learn a lot from the successes and the failures of preventing the destruction of Yamit.
The only way to prevent the expulsion is to make it impossible for it to happen. There is no room here for a "moral victory." No one advocates violence of course, but defending expulsion from one's home is not an act of violence, it is not crossing a red line.
The expulsion, however, is both.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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