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Troops Dispatched to Enforce Building Freeze


idf1.jpgOne would think the IDF has undertaken a major military operation in Yehuda and Shomron based on the number of armor-plated jeeps and escort vehicles seen traveling to no less than 26 communities in recent days, all ordered to enforce the new 10-month construction freeze by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who is flexing his left-wing muscle to make sure a single brick is not put into place, to prevent Israel from chas v’sholom angering the White House and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), thereby jeopardizing the so-called peace process. The military convoy is happily escorted by Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) radical left-wing activists and photographers, happily recording events, wishing to save the victory for posterity.

To speak of a “peace process” with Israel’s neighbors is indeed an oxymoron, but nonetheless, for the second time in as many terms in office, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, has sold Israel’s vital interests down the drain for his own political gain, seeking to find favor on Capitol Hill and in the international community.

Inspectors from the IDF’s Civil Administration arrived in Betar Illit at about 1:00pm on Monday, delivering the orders to halt all construction, heading directly to the area known as B2, slated to be a community of 1,205 housing units. At present, work was underway on the first 286 units, already approved by the previous administration, signed off by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Once again, a right-wing government brings construction to a sudden and total halt, with inspectors shutting down the operation.

One can only attempt to imagine the hardship this new policy will bring to many young couples, those who have signed on mortgages and taken loans, paying banks and living under difficult conditions juggling the transition period, when one is compelled to pay rent and a mortgage, counting the days until one’s home is complete. The prime minister’s policy has just added enormous financial strain to these families, who are wondering how they will manage. The investors, contractors and land developers, who have secured all permits, completed tenders and signed contracts. Construction crews are already in place, as is the expensive construction equipment, and bank loans to finance many construction projects have been issued.

Once again the prime minister has shown his word is meaningless, and promises to permit completion of approved and started projects were nothing more than another media byline. In Betar, 31 housing units in another area are also on hold, as is a project for 52 additional homes near the Gordon Shopping Center, in an established area of the community where private homes exist.

Dozens of Civil Administration inspectors traveled to 26 communities throughout Yehuda and Shomron, enforcing the law to an extreme. In Maale Michmas in the Benjamin Regional Council District for example, inspectors sealed the building site, halted ongoing construction and literally confiscated construction equipment.

The same occurred in other communities, including Modi’in Illit, communities that impact the chareidi and the dati leumi communities one and the same.

Inspectors arrived armed with aerial photographs taken on erev shabbos, to make sure nothing on the ground changes from the realities that existed on Friday.

The head of the Civil Administration, Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai, used a military order from the IDF’s Central District Commander to circumvent the decisions of all building committees and authorities, basically imposing military law, pushing municipal government and the law aside. Local and regional planning boards are now powerless. They cannot issue new permits and existing permits have been rendered null and void by the Civil Administration. The rights of one and all have been trampled upon by Netanyahu and Barak, all in the name of making US President Barak Obama happy. A policy that would elicit shouts of “anti-Semitism” abroad is now approved Israel government policy. Goyim may build homes but Jews are forbidden.

Deputy Minister of Education (Yahadut HaTorah) R’ Meir Porush had harsh words for the prime minister’s policy, addressing the Knesset plenum on Monday, condemning a policy that seeks to place out trust in the White House instead of Hashem, a policy that brings construction in Eretz Yisrael to a halt, a policy that ignores the plight of hundreds and even thousands of families who are awaiting a home of their own, an apartment to live, permitting them to move out of a basement or storage room. Porush slammed the mantra equating construction throughout Yehuda and Shomron with chas v’sholom being a “stumbling block to peace”, rejecting any such notion. He decried the obsession with world opinion while trampling the holiness and sanctity of Eretz Yisrael and the needs of Am Yisrael.

To understand the proportion of the national government’s decision, in the municipalities of Betar Illit, Modi’in Illit, Emanuel and Tel Tzion alone there are an estimated over 100,000 chareidim, all impacted by the decree. The ramifications of the decree are no less painful in the dati leumi communities, where overcrowding and ‘natural growth’ are real issues as well.

These are communities with large families Baruch Hashem, communities with tens and hundreds of children born monthly, communities in which expansion is a must, to accommodate the so-called natural growth. In addition to the private homes, there is a critical shortage of public buildings, nursery and school buildings, community centers, shuls and more.

The heads of the Settlement Council met in an urgent session on Monday with Housing Minister (Shas) Ariel Atias, beginning to seek a solution, a response to this evil decree. A meeting was also held between the leaders and the head of the communities throughout Yehuda and Shomron, as a solution is being sought.

Porush lamented the situation, stating it is a reflection of the alarming situation at home, as a government prepares to releases hundreds of murderous terrorists, “who are up to their heads in Jewish blood”, whose release will only serve to encourage the next attack, the next murder of innocent people.

Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman, a former Likud MK, stated the period of Jews hunting down Jews is reminiscent of the period during which Ben-Gurion’s Haganah forces hunted down members of Menachem Begin’s Irgun, who were abducted and beaten by the Haganah troops.

Some of the other communities served with stop-building orders include Maale Ephraim, Nili, Matisyahu, Kfar Oranim, Tekoa, Kfar Eldad and Kiryat Arba.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)



11 Responses

  1. What a shame that a country has to use its military to inforce local laws. The Minister should stop the building in Iran as well.

  2. Ehud (Hussein) Barak – not even good enough to collect the garbage in Eretz Yisrael. The only consolation for the pain of seeing this mushchas doing what he is – is knowing yaish din v’yaish Dayan. He will, ultimately, pay a terrible price for his evil.

  3. YWN, please take off the picture of the shiryon (tank) commander. This picture was taken at the end of the war in Gaza. I doubt if there are any tanks involved in this disgusting mission, and they certainly wouldn’t be giving the “thumbs up”.

  4. They shoud rely on the police to keep these illegal settlements from being constructed and not involve the military. The problem is that they don’t bring charges against the settlers who violate the orders not to build so they are only encouraged to go out again. Sending a few to jail would quickly solve the problem and require a much smaller number of security forces to monitor the situation.

  5. #4, you are obviously out on another planet somewhere. We’re talking about established places here, not “illegal settlements.”

    I wonder if our wonderful leaders realize that the construction halt will directly affect the Palestinian population. They won’t have any work without construction. Of course, that will be Israel’s fault as well.

  6. I live in Modiin Illit. There was not one tank or soldier coming to stop the construction. They are building 3 new buildings behind my building, and nothing has stopped. For one day they weren’t there- I think that was on Sunday. Since then they have been here working from about 7 am until dark. So I highly doubt anything will stop them at this point- army, police, politicians- it’s not gonna help. B’ezras Hashem, everyone will have their apartments ready at the appointed time, or at least near that date.
    The only issue with the construction freeze, is that it makes prices of apartments soar to proportions that are just crazy, and very not affordable. There really is no need for this, because the Arabs don’t want our land, they just want us all not here… chas v’shalom.
    Bibi, wake up! Smell the coffee! This isn’t going to help anything- stop talking to dictators who have nothing better to do than not run their countries properly.

  7. While I strongly disagree with what Netanyahu has done here are a few observations which might make the situation a little more understandable:

    1) Elections will soon be held in the PA areas and as the polls have shown, Hamas is gaining strength and might have a fighting chance to win the elections. To avoid another Gaza at a much larger scale, Netanyahu (to the exclusion of Barak who is in his own world) has given some strength to Mazen’s government to give it a bit of popularity. Hence the decision to halt construction now so close to the elections and for such a short period of time. If he was trying to pacify America, why not extend the construction halt longer?

    2) This puts the ball in PA’s court. Israel has done everything it could do to get them to the negotiating table at the pressure of the world. If the PA fails to meet Israel (which no doubtedly will) they will be the ones to go in the bad spotlight, albeit for a short period of time, so that if Obama or Clinton (ym”s) call for another construction halt, Israel will just point to this period of time and show them how it failed, taking one less demand off the US bargaining table.

    There are other reasons I’m sure, but these are just a few that I’ve observed. While I disagree completely with the government and wish they had enough courage to run their own country, from their point-of-view it makes perfect sense, once again proving that without Torah, one’s senses are as dull as a spoon.

  8. The construction freeze is disturbing, but does anyone perhaps think about what pressures the US has come to bear on Israel, behind the scenes? Israel’s primary concern right now is Iran, and without US funding, there’s no chance Israel can take an offensive (or chas v’shalom defensive) stance against Iran. I’m not defending Netanyahu, but I believe there’s a lot more to the picture than meets the eye.

  9. Why all this nonsense? If Israel enforces a freeze, and KNOWS the arabs have one motive in mind, then Israel is saying it’s open to giving up land with thoughtless abandon. So, why play these games? Just give them the land and let whatever is going to happen; happen.

    If you did not have a vested interest in two countries, say Nigeria and Zimbabwe, and you read that Nigeria was constantly releasing hundreds of Zimbabweans, and Nigeria was freezing construction in their country at the behest of the Zimbabweans, you would think Nigeria did something wrong and feels they may owe something to the other country. Well, that is how Israel’s own actions cost them sympathy from the world stage.

  10. Please YWN – take off that picture of the tank commander with the thumbs-up. It is from the gaza war, has nothing to do with this article, and gives the wrong impression that soldiers are gung-ho about this “freeze”.

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