A number of public figures in religious Zionism, including rabbis, current and former Knesset members, secretaries-general of Bnei Akiva, and senior figures in religious Zionist organizations, have published letters calling on all senior figures in the national religious public to condemn the acts of violence and Jewish terrorism directed against Palestinians in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).
The letters were published after a series of violent incidents by Israelis against Palestinians. Information obtained by Davar indicates that members of the Knesset from the ‘Religious Zionism’ party, who were asked to join one of the letters, refused to do so. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also refused to answer Davar's question on the subject, saying that he "condemns any violence whatsoever." When asked about the use by some of the rioters of ATVs that they apparently received from the Ministry of Settlement and National Mission, he evaded the question and did not answer.
"An anti-moral act that harms the Holy Land"
The first letter was published on March 9 by the chief rabbi of the Samaria Regional Council, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon. In his letter, which was addressed, among other things, to the hilltop youth, the rabbi wrote: "The Land of Israel is acquired and built only out of Torah and moral uprightness. We see your great strengths, in your dedication to the people and the land."
However, Rabbi Levanon emphasized that "actions that are against morality and against the Torah are detrimental to this holy goal. Harming the property, and even more so the life, of any person, Jew or Gentile, is an anti-moral act, and it harms the soul of the Holy Land."
Another letter was published by several prominent rabbis from inside the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), including Rabbi Eliezer Melamed of the Har Bracha settlement and Rabbi David Dudkevich of Yitzhar settlement. In their letter, the rabbis noted that the violent incidents are used as a weapon against the State of Israel in general and against the settlement enterprise in particular, thereby jeopardizing its existence. "The containment of elements that act incorrectly or violently can jeopardize the entire enterprise; this should not be accepted, and they should be demanded to act properly and responsibly or removed from the settlement."
Another group of rabbis from Gush Etzion published a statement in a similar vein, in which they expressed appreciation for the pioneering enterprise but strongly disapproved of the violence: "We know that thousands of youth and adults are acting in a correct and appropriate manner. However, there are several dozen youth who are acting in a manner that is inappropriate and unacceptable… We reject any manifestation of violence of any kind." This statement was signed, among others, by the rabbi of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, as well as the rabbi of Carmi Tzur, Rabbi Reuven Ben-Uliel.
"To call out loudly for truth and peace"
The third letter was published by dozens of rabbis, public figures and educators from across the Religious Zionism faction. The signatories include the head of Ma'ale Gilboa Yeshiva, Rabbi Yehuda Gilad, and former Bnei Akiva secretaries-general, Danny Hirschberg and Zvi Alon.
"We call for speaking out clearly and raising our voices for truth and peace from the educational responsibility we have taken upon ourselves over the years," they wrote. "True religious Zionism is built on the foundations of justice, the sanctity of human life, and the dignity of human beings, not on violence. We are obligated to say: Violence by Jews against Palestinians, whether it involves harm to life, property, or honor, is a violation of Torah law, it is a violation of state law, and it is a direct violation of the legitimacy of the entire settlement project."
The signatories, rabbis and educators, mentioned a story about Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, the spiritual leader of the settlement movement: "The spiritual father of the generation of founders of the settlement in Judea and Samaria, was saddened and ashamed of himself when he saw children attacking Arab vendors on a Jerusalem street. He wrote to their school principal: 'I saw that from a group of schoolchildren, some of them physically assaulted and rudely provoked Arab street vendors… He started with a young man and continued with an old man with particular rudeness. I was very saddened and ashamed at the sight of this.' These are not the words of the left, these are the words of the rabbi on whose shoulders the settlement was built."
The public figures signed their letter with a pointed call to action: "We strongly reject the attempt to dress acts of violence within religious or ideological boundaries. Destruction of property, setting fire to fields, attacking civilians — these are acts that require unequivocal condemnation from anyone who identifies with religious Zionism. Anyone who cares about the settlement enterprise is obligated to raise an outcry against the actions of extremists who blacken the entire settlement enterprise and the entire people of Israel. Silence is not neutrality, it is complicity. We must not remain silent and condone these extremist acts."
Politicians Respond to the Letters
Smotrich initially refused to answer Davar's question about the letters, but later said that he was "proud of the security forces and the tractors and the farm enterprise that already occupies more than 100 dunams in Judea and Samaria, and that the Settlement Minister is doing everything with authority, permission and coordination with the army."
When his spokesman asked to move on to the next question, Smotrich continued: "I think this is what all the enemies of settlement are angry about, not about violent fringes, but about the fact that the official State of Israel is doing this. This is what they are angry about. The big outcry from the anti-Semites, the enemies of Israel, and unfortunately from all sorts of spineless people at home. They are angry that we are doing this with authority and permission, as opposed to violence. We are proud of this and hope that the police will deal with any kind of violence."
"Unfortunately, there are some fringes who are anarchist criminals, there are some in Tel Aviv, Be'er Sheva and probably also in Judea and Samaria, in my opinion the vast majority of them are not at all connected to settlement. As far as youth are concerned, there also needs to be a therapeutic response," said Smotrich in response to a question from Noa Shpigel from Haaretz. "Where there is a criminal incident, there needs to be a determined police response that will put him behind bars. I am not willing to cooperate with a false campaign of settler violence."
MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash), in response to a question from Davar about whether he would agree to cooperate with rabbis who came out against this violence, said, "Regarding the settlers, the root of the problem in the occupied territories is the occupation itself, it is the main feeder. When there is an occupation, these things happen. Therefore, we call on everyone to end this occupation. This is for the benefit of everyone and not just for the benefit of the Palestinian people."