Page 82 - issue
P. 82
AMONA AND THE ARRANGEMENTS LAWby Raphael Blumberg
efore the Oslo “peace” accords,
there were no hilltop outposts.
When a group of Jews wanted
to start a new town in Judea
and Samaria, on empty gov-
Bernment land, they did so, and
hoods by larger, established, sympa- before the passing of the Arrangements
thetic, nearby communities. When my Law, recently, that there were 4,000 res-
own son moved to Esh Kodesh, outside idents of Judea and Samaria whose
of Shilo, his trailer home was sixteenth homes were in danger of being evacuat-
in the community. Today, six years later, ed. In the past, when such events
there are many private homes, and the threatened, the Israeli news media tend-
number of families has risen above 50. ed to write about them at length, with-
the town immediately received The Jewish People want to live in bibli- out explaining all that much. I would
governmental recognition. cal Eretz Yisrael. In 1992, when Oslo like to answer three questions people
After Oslo, in order not to raise the struck, there were under 200,000 Jews ask about such evacuations.
ire of the Western powers, Israel in Judea and Samaria. Now the number Why are these people being evacuat-
stopped building new towns in Judea is approaching half a million. No other ed?
and Samaria but continued expanding part of Israel is growing so fast. Are there pertinent facts that are
old ones. Threats from such initiatives On the first and second of February, being ignored?
as Oslo, Wye, Annapolis, Camp David 2017, the residents of 40 caravans in the What is the new Arrangements Law,
Two, etc, etc., led to the creation of Amona neighborhood of Ofra, 20 min- and can it help?
“outposts,” new towns built from utes north of Jerusalem, were physically Let me preface by saying that, while
scratch outside the boundaries of the evacuated by Israeli police officers. left-wing and right-wing journalists start
established towns of Judea and Following the Gush Katif evacuation of with the same facts, they emphasize dif-
Samaria. The thinking was this: If we 2004, there were a number of such ferent things. I imagine you are finding
don’t use it, we’ll lose it. evacuations, including the first Amona this to be the case right now with the
Amona is one of many such hilltop evacuation (2006), Migron (2012), the coverage of Donald Trump’s presidency.
communities in the Binyamin District Ulpena neighborhood in Beit El (2012), Well, it’s true here in Israel as well.
of Samaria, built on empty government and the Dreinoff apartment buildings, Why was Amona evacuated? Left-
land and later adopted as neighbor- also in Beit El (2015). It was estimated, wing commentators will say: “It was
74 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
efore the Oslo “peace” accords,
there were no hilltop outposts.
When a group of Jews wanted
to start a new town in Judea
and Samaria, on empty gov-
Bernment land, they did so, and
hoods by larger, established, sympa- before the passing of the Arrangements
thetic, nearby communities. When my Law, recently, that there were 4,000 res-
own son moved to Esh Kodesh, outside idents of Judea and Samaria whose
of Shilo, his trailer home was sixteenth homes were in danger of being evacuat-
in the community. Today, six years later, ed. In the past, when such events
there are many private homes, and the threatened, the Israeli news media tend-
number of families has risen above 50. ed to write about them at length, with-
the town immediately received The Jewish People want to live in bibli- out explaining all that much. I would
governmental recognition. cal Eretz Yisrael. In 1992, when Oslo like to answer three questions people
After Oslo, in order not to raise the struck, there were under 200,000 Jews ask about such evacuations.
ire of the Western powers, Israel in Judea and Samaria. Now the number Why are these people being evacuat-
stopped building new towns in Judea is approaching half a million. No other ed?
and Samaria but continued expanding part of Israel is growing so fast. Are there pertinent facts that are
old ones. Threats from such initiatives On the first and second of February, being ignored?
as Oslo, Wye, Annapolis, Camp David 2017, the residents of 40 caravans in the What is the new Arrangements Law,
Two, etc, etc., led to the creation of Amona neighborhood of Ofra, 20 min- and can it help?
“outposts,” new towns built from utes north of Jerusalem, were physically Let me preface by saying that, while
scratch outside the boundaries of the evacuated by Israeli police officers. left-wing and right-wing journalists start
established towns of Judea and Following the Gush Katif evacuation of with the same facts, they emphasize dif-
Samaria. The thinking was this: If we 2004, there were a number of such ferent things. I imagine you are finding
don’t use it, we’ll lose it. evacuations, including the first Amona this to be the case right now with the
Amona is one of many such hilltop evacuation (2006), Migron (2012), the coverage of Donald Trump’s presidency.
communities in the Binyamin District Ulpena neighborhood in Beit El (2012), Well, it’s true here in Israel as well.
of Samaria, built on empty government and the Dreinoff apartment buildings, Why was Amona evacuated? Left-
land and later adopted as neighbor- also in Beit El (2015). It was estimated, wing commentators will say: “It was
74 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
