| | 1. | Amona Braces for Destruction of Homes Tonight
| | By Hillel Fendel
| Tensions are rising in Amona, where over 5,000 people have gathered to resist the planned destruction of 9 homes. "We won't make it easy for those who come to destroy our houses," one resident said.
| Thousands of people, mainly youths, are now in Amona and nearby Ofrah, preparing to struggle against the planned IDF destruction of nine homes in Amona. The theme appears to be: The passive nature of the Gush Katif struggle will not repeat itself.
Rabbi Avi Gisser, the Rabbi of Ofra, said he is against all violence, "but we will not be like Gush Katif; there will be no agreements by which we will get up and go. No one will leave here without being dragged out."
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel has moved to Amona with his family, joining MK Uri Ariel (no relation), who moved there earlier this week. Rabbi Ariel, who was the rabbi of the destroyed Sinai city of Yamit (1982), spoke to hundreds of residents and guests Monday night, encouraging them on the eve of the planned destruction.
Some 35 families reside in other, less permanent homes in Amona. These are not in dispute and are in no danger of being demolished.
In an attempt to prevent the influx of Land of Israel supporters, the army set up roadblocks along Route 60, the highway leading north from Jerusalem towards the Shomron (Samaria) on Monday night. It also cut off the electricity to Amona and Ofrah last night, but removed both measures after a brief period. Many non-Shomron residents were stopped at the permanent Hizme checkpoint outside northern Jerusalem's Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood. Some of them began walking to the north, and others waited for Shomron residents to come and pick them up.
After Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert canceled at least two other meetings with settlement leaders of Judea and Samaria, he finally met with them last night - but refused to compromise. Binyamin Council Chairman Pinchas Wallerstein, Yesha Council veteran Ze'ev Chever (Zambish) and Yesha Council Chairman Bentzy Lieberman told Olmert of the efforts they had made towards an agreement, including sealing the homes with concrete blocks. They asked for two months in which to finalize all the legal details involved in the purchase of the land.
Olmert refused, saying, "I am determined to proceed" with the destruction of Amona - though he said he would be willing to continue to discuss other outposts in Judea and Samaria.
MK Uri Ariel said that Olmert's refusal is based merely on electoral considerations, hoping to show the electorate that he can make and execute tough decisions. "He could have easily solved this mess," Ariel said about Olmert. "Don't forget that just a few hundred meters from here, there are many illegal Arab homes which don't seem to bother anyone... If there is no choice, then we are prepared for a struggle. I call upon people to come in their thousands."
At present, leaders of the struggle expect the operation to begin sometime Tuesday night. The IDF roadblocks are expected to be put in place again during the course of the day. Residents of nearby Jewish communities are preparing to walk to Amona by foot, via Arab villages, and to help the struggle in other ways, such as by blocking army forces or otherwise keeping them occupied.
Leaders of the struggle say they do not promote violence, but the general consensus is that there is no genuine leadership, and that many youths will act as they please. Despite this, calls continue to be made for no violence against policemen and soldiers.
Tuesday morning, a large group of youths attempted to break into an army post near Ofra, from where forces are expected to be called for action against Amona. Some reports say they managed to sabotage some heavy equipment to be used in the destruction.
New resident Rabbi Ariel concentrated in his talk on the historic and security importance of the site, located on a mountain top 20 kilometers due north of Jerusalem:
"Here, on the next mountain over, is Mt. Hatzor, one of the most important IDF bases and the highest mountain in Judea and Samaria, looking over from Ashkelon to Mt. Hermon. According to an ancient scroll from the Second Temple period, found in the Judean Desert by a well-known archaeologist, the Patriarch Abraham stood on this mountain, looked out at the entire State of Israel, and was told by G-d, 'Arise and walk in the Land, through its length and breadth, for to you I will give it.' The scroll describes in detail Abraham's journeys through the Land until he returned to Hebron. We are here to return to our roots."
The rabbi also noted that the region of Amona was the site of a major battle of Judah the Maccabee against the Syrian Greeks: "Abraham arrived by himself, and Judah led a small group and won, and we too - it doesn't matter if we are few or many: we will certainly win, for we do not give up on the Land of Israel, and are willing to suffer and get hit on its behalf."
Central Region Commander Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh said that his forces had been ordered to "arrest without blinking:"
"I fear that the violence will be more intense than in Gush Katif, and therefore we are preparing for extreme cases. For this we have the elite Yamam forces and the special Massada Prison Service force... [The forces] will not be armed, but will be with clubs and helmets, and the order is to arrest freely and with determination. There must be correct documentation and 'arrests without blinking.'"
Out of 6,200 policemen and soldiers preparing for the destruction, about 1,600 of them will be in the "first circle." Their task will be to remove the youths and other protestors so that the buildings can be destroyed.
The town of Ofra, adjacent to Amona, has turned its many educational institutions and public buildings into dining and sleeping facilities for the youths and other guests. On Tuesday, groups of youths could be seen walking around, climbing to the roofs of the threatened homes, raising equipment such as barbed wire and tires to the roofs, and making other preparations.
One man sprayed the nearby walls with the message, "In Sodom, too, there were courts" - a reference to the decisions by the Supreme Courts and lower courts enabling the destruction of the Amona homes. Thousands of illegal Arab structures have not been destroyed by Israeli authorities, which instead allow the builders to complete the legal procedures after the construction is completed.
 Back to Headlines
| | 2. | Amona Rabbi´s Pep Talk, and Other Amona Developments
| | By Hillel Fendel
| Amona's rabbi tells protestors: "The fight against the Disengagement from all of Judea and Samaria begins here... The police and army come with clubs and tear gas, we come with ethics and holiness."
| The rabbi of Amona, Rabbi Yair Frank, gave a spiritual pep talk to many of the assembled protestors at Amona early this afternoon.
"This is not a struggle only for the nine houses that the government wants to destroy," he said, "and not only for Amona. It is rather a struggle against the beginning of the Disengagement from all of Judea and Samaria."
"We understand now that when they talk of Disengagement, they mean first and foremost a disengagement from G-d and from the Torah and its commandments. The fight here in Amona is part of the struggle for the spiritual floor in the construction of the Land of Israel."
Rabbi Frank warned against violence directed at policemen and soldiers:
"Everyone who arrived here did so with the knowledge that they would adhere to the instructions of the community leadership."
Addressing the security forces charged with carrying out the actual evacuation of the protestors and the destruction of the buildings, Rabbi Frank said, "You come with clubs, tear gas, and being cynically used by the government - but we come in the name of ethics and sanctity."
The roofs of the nine houses slated for destruction are full of youths placing barbed wire and other obstacles in an attempt to push off the destruction.
In the afternoon hours, an army checkpoint was briefly put in place at the Assaf Junction leading from Beit El to Ofrah. Only people who were able to prove, or otherwise convince the soldiers, that they were not headed for Amona were being let through.
MK Uzi Landau (Likud) said today, "It is sad that the government wages policies based on ratings. In Israel 2006, it's popular to enforce the law only against the residents of Judea and Samaria, after the government turned them into a public enemy." He called on the protestors not to play into the government's hands during the evacuation.
Some 6,200 policemen and soldiers trained for several days at a base in the northern Negev for the Amona operation. The forces include elite units such as the Nachshon unit that is usually in charge of dispersing prison riots. Soldiers of the Engineering Corps are to blow up the buildings.
As Amona is a mountain-top community, with only one winding and narrow road leading to it, questions have been raised as to how the army plans to make its arrival to the area. It has been reported that the forces intend to first forcibly remove the thousands of protestors from the area. Only then will they proceed to Stage Two - the actual demolition of the buildings. The army hopes to complete the entire operation by Wednesday afternoon.
At least one incident of a refusal has been reported thus far. The personal driver of the IDF Deputy Battalion Commander responsible for the destruction refused orders to take part in the expulsion. He told his commanders that he is willing to stand trial for his decision. He was removed from the area, and is in fact expected to be tried.
Back to Headlines
| | 3. | Protests from Home and on the Streets
| | By Hillel Fendel
| Solidarity rallies for the threatened community of Amona are scheduled for various intersections around the country this afternoon. A fax-and-phone protest campaign is also underway.
| At 5 PM, rallies will be held at intersections outside Ofakim, Haifa, Raanana, and Shilat. Rallies are also scheduled at that time at the Bar-Ilan Junction, Pisgat Ze'ev in Jerusalem, and the Jerusalem city entrance.
Another protest will be held at 5:30 outside IDF Samaria Headquarters.
The protestors will rally under the theme, "I'm Frustrated! The Terrorists are Building - While Jewish Homes are Being Destroyed!"
Susie Dym, spokesperson for the Cities of Israel grassroots organization, said,
"Olmert and Mofaz are trying to keep the settlers busy, so that they won't have time to win over the voters' hearts.
"Olmert knows that if the residents weren't so busy trying to defend their homes, they would go out in a national face-to-face campaign, and grab from under his nose all the Kadima voters and bring them all back to the right-wing camp - just like they did in one month of hard work before the Likud referendum.
"At that time [May 2004], they came from behind and won the referendum by a large margin, to the astonishment of Olmert and Sharon and their people."
A "protest from home" campaign is also underway. Home-bound objectors to the Amona destruction have been asked to phone or fax the following officials and register their opinions:
Police Chief Karadi - 02 5308100 fax 02 530 8118
President Moshe Katzav - phone: 02 6707211, fax 02 5671314
State Comptroller's Office - 02 666 5000, fax 02 666 5204
PM's Spokesman - 02 5666920 fax 02 566 9245
Olmert's personal spokesman - 02 6662301 fax 02 666 4400
Chief Rabbi Metzger 02 5377872 Chief Rabbi Amar 02 5371305
As if the security forces did not have their hands full already, police in Jerusalem found themselves occupied this afternoon with hundreds of hareidi-religious Jews. The latter blocked the central Shmuel HaNavi intersection in the northern area of the capital, expressing their rage over an autopsy perpetrated upon the body of a hareidi woman in the north. They burned large garbage bins and threw rocks.
See related stories on Amona on this site.
Back to Headlines
| | 4. | Now Fatah Demands a State from the Jordan to the Mediterranean
| | By Scott Shiloh
| The military wing of the Fatah party, the Al-Aksa Brigades, in a post-election effort to outflank the Hamas, says it will step up its terror offensive against Israel.
| The group will attempt to drum up public support for more violence against Israel by emphasizing the need to “liberate all of historic Palestine from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] Sea.”
As political leaders in Israel and around the world lament the fall of the Fatah and the rise of the Hamas to the forefront of the PA leadership, the Fatah, via its armed wing, is hardening its stance towards Israel.
The political goals of the Al-Aksa Brigades leave no room for a Jewish State in the Middle East. In what may be an effort to win back the voting public, the political line of the Brigades is moving closer and closer to that of the Hamas.
In an official announcement released in Gaza on January 30, the Brigades said that the Hamas victory in last week’s election “will not affect the policies of the Al-Aksa Brigades or its resistance to the Zionist occupier.”
“No Palestinian government will prevent the Brigades from continuing in its path of resistance until all Palestinian land is liberated from the defilement of the occupation,” said the Brigades.
Using terminology reminiscent of the Hamas and other radical Islamic terror groups, the announcement continued, “The Al-Aksa Brigades will not be silent and will punish those who try to weaken Palestinian resistance and jihad against the occupier that blocks roads, arrests, and assassinates jihad fighters on the West Bank, and kills innocent children in Gaza.”
Abu Zuheri, a leader of the Brigades, expressed satisfaction with the group’s more militant image. “Palestine from the river to the Mediterranean, coincides with the policy of the Hamas and is a source of pride,” he said.
Back to Headlines
| | 5. | Kadima Knesset List to be Unveiled Tuesday Evening
| | By Hillel Fendel
| The Kadima Party is to announce its list of Knesset candidates at a closed-to-the-public gathering tonight in Jerusalem. Political opponents say it's a hodge-podge list of Olmert's cronies.
| The precise order was to be determined by Ariel Sharon, but Ehud Olmert took over this job when Sharon fell into a coma. Many of the names on the list are not well-known to the public, yet will become Knesset Members by virtue of their having been chosen by Sharon or Olmert.
The list contains Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, one MK, three former MKs, and a host of others. The order of their placement is to be announced tonight.
Among the names are:
* Ministers Olmert, Edry, Boim, Bar-on, Hirschsohn, Ezra, Livny and Sheetrit - all of whom split off from the Likud together with Ariel Sharon;
* Ministers Tzachi HaNegbi and Sha'ul Mofaz - who swore allegiance to the Likud at first, but then abruptly quit and joined Kadima;
* Deputy Ministers Ruchama Avraham, Eli Aflalo, Majali Wahabe and Marina Solodkin - all of whom split off from the Likud together with Ariel Sharon;
* MK David Tal - who left Labor/One Nation to join Kadima;
* Shimon Peres, Chaim Ramon, and Dalia Itzik - all of whom were Cabinet ministers of the Labor Party up until three months ago. They resigned from the government at the behest of newly-elected Labor Chairman Amir Peretz, then proceeded to join Kadima. They were forced to resign from the government because of a legal complexity that would otherwise not have allowed them to run for the upcoming Knesset.
* Ze'ev Elkin (slot #17), Prof. Menachem Ben-Sasson (20), Shlomo Breznitz (21), Amira Dotan (28), Yoel Hasson (29), and many others.
The names from slot 30 and downwards are virtually unknown to the public at large, except possibly for #46, Shmulik Rifman - former Labor Party member and head of the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council.
Labor Party Chairman and Prime Ministerial candidate Amir Peretz called Kadima a "casino party." He told Tel Aviv University students today, "In the Labor Party, the candidates had to run from place to place around the whole country to present their views and get elected to the Knesset list [in the party primaries], while in Kadima, there was an auction of CV's of people with the right connections."
Kadima sources say the list represents many different sectors, including women (11 of them), young (5), security (6), academia (8), new immigrants (6), Yesha (2), and farming communities (4).
Labor MK Ophir Pines said that the Kadima list has turned Israeli politics decades back in time. "It seems that the only criterion for Knesset membership on behalf of Kadima is having an acquaintance with Olmert," he said. "From kindergarten through school, university and his first steps in politics, Olmert has gathered together all his old friends and put them on the Kadima list."
MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) had similar criticism: "The list looks like a summary of Olmert's life. He has included a friend of his from kindergarten, the son of his first political patron [Tamir, son of Shmuel Tamir], a university lecturer of his, the son of his accountant, and friends from the Jerusalem Municipality [which Olmert headed as Mayor for ten years until 2003]."
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union) said, "I'm sure that Olmert will ask public forgiveness from his kindergarten teacher Shoshana for not having found a place for her on his Knesset list, despite her having accompanied him in a critical period in his life. We see that there is no limit on the absurdity and shame."
Olmert formulated the list based on Ariel Sharon's original rough-copy, as well as in consultation with some political allies and aides. He met some of the candidates only once, and with some of them he spoke only by telephone. At one point, he phoned Yoram Karashi, a brother of his office manager Shula Zaken, and asked him to join the list on a spot with realistic chances to be elected to the Knesset. Karashi turned down the offer because of what were reported as his "personal business affairs."
Two former MKs from Labor - Effie Oshaya (a member of the 14th and 15th Knessets) and Rafi Elul (13th and 14th) - announced today that they are joining Kadima. They might have missed the train, however; it is not clear whether they will be placed in realistic slots on the Kadima list of candidates.
Attorney Yosef Tamir is also on the list. He is the son of Olmert's original political patron, former Justice Minister and MK Shmuel Tamir.
Another late entry is Anastasia Michaeli, the newscaster of the Israel Broadcasting Authority's Russian-language television channel.
The top five on the list are apparently as follows: Olmert, Peres, Livny, Sheetrit and former GSS head Avi Dichter. Next in line are Solodkin, Ramon, Mofaz, HaNegbi and Hirschsohn.
Number 11 is Prof. Uriel Reichman, the founder of the Shinui Party who is apparently slated to become the Education Minister if Olmert forms the next government. Following Reichman on the list are Ezra, Bar-on, Itzik, Boim and Edry.
Number 16 is newcomer Ze'ev Elkin, a history professor at the Yaakov Herzog College in Ein Tzurim.
Number 20 is Prof. Menachem Ben-Sasson, Rector of Hebrew University since 1997, where he received his PhD and has served as Professor.
Number 35 is Dr. Rachel Adato-Levy, a gynecologist, a member of the senior management of Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital and Shaarei Zedek Medical Center, and head of National Council for Women's Health.
A series of mayors have left Labor and joined Kadima. They include the mayors of Haifa (Yonah Yahav), Carmiel (Adi Eldar), Rosh HaAyin, Nazareth Illit, Ganei Tikvah, Maaleh Yosef and Yesod HaMaalah.
The list will be presented this evening at 6 PM at Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center in the capital. The candidates and their spouses have been invited, as well as members of the press, leading Kadima activists and guests.
Back to Headlines
| | 6. | 2,000-Year-Old Judean Date Seed Growing Successfully
| | By Ezra HaLevi
| A 2,000-year-old date seed planted last Tu B’Shvat has sprouted and is over a foot tall. Being grown at Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava, it is the oldest seed to ever produce a viable young sapling.
|
The Judean date seed was found, together with a large number of other seeds, during archaeological excavations carried out close to Massada near the southern end of the Dead Sea. Massada was the last Jewish stronghold following the Roman destruction of the Holy Temple over 1,930 years ago. The age of the seeds was determined using carbon dating, but has a margin of error of 50 years – placing them either right before or right after the Massada revolt.
The seeds sat in storage for thirty years until Elain Solowey of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies was asked to attempt to cultivate three of them. Solowey spoke with Israel National Radio's Yishai Fleisher and Alex Traiman about reviving the ancient date palm.
Solowey, who raised the plant, has grown over 100 rare and almost extinct species of plants. Together with Hadassah Hospital’s Natural Medicine Center, she seeks to use the plants listed in ancient remedies to seek effective uses for modern medical conditions. The Judean date has been credited with helping fight cancer, malaria and toothaches. Solowey was skeptical about the chances of success at first, but gave it a try. “I treated it in warm water and used growth hormones and an enzymatic fertilizer extracted from seaweed in order to supplement the food normally present in a seed,” she said.
As this year’s Tu B’Shvat (the Jewish new year for trees, the 15th of the Jewish month of Shvat) approaches, the young tree that sprouted from one of the three seeds now has five leaves (one was removed for scientific testing) and is 14 inches tall. Solowey has named it Metushelah (Methuselah), after the 969-year-old grandfather of Noah, the oldest human being ever.
Solowey said that although the plant’s leaves were pale at first, the young tree now looks “perfectly normal.”
The Judean palms once grew throughout the Jordan Valley, from Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) to the Dead Sea. Those from Jericho, at the northern end of the Dead Sea, were of particularly notable quality. Though dates are still grown widely in the Jordan Valley, the trees come mostly from California.
The Judean date palm trees are referred to in Psalm 92 (“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree…”). The tree was also depicted on the ancient Jewish shekel and now appears on the modern Israeli 10-shekel coin.
It is too early to tell, but if the tree is female, it is supposed to bear fruit by 2010, after which it can be propagated to revive the Judean date palm species altogether. “It is a long road to our being able to eat the Judean date once again,” Solowey said, “but there is the possibility of restoring the date to the modern world.”
Listen to the interview on Israel National Radio
Back to Headlines
| | 7. | On A7radio: What is the role of Tzaddikim?
| A7 Radio's "Temple Talk" with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitchak Reuven
| The passing of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri of Blessed Memory: What is the role of tzaddikim?
The loss of the righteous and what it means for the Jewish people and the whole world. The month of Shvat and the "water" of Torah: the strength of Israel and our power and claim to this Land. Current events in the light of current Torah portions: More evil decrees as Hashem hardens hearts. Chamas rises to "power"?! The Exodus from Egypt: An earth-shattering event, soon to be repeated as we approach the Redemption.
Listen Hour 1 -or- Download*
Listen Hour 2 -or- Download*
RSS feed
For more A7 Radio visit www.IsraelNationalRadio.com.
Back to Headlines
|
ARUTZ SHEVA ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Subscribe to IsraelNationalNews Daily Email Service / Unsubscribe
You are subscribed to the Printer Friendly Version of this News Report
Two other versions are available:
The Fully Enriched Version - With news pictures and other enhanced features.
Plain Text Only Version - Without HTML code. Ideal for palm pilots, blackberries, and simple email clients.
To modify your subscription or set a "vacation hold" click here
Email us your questions, comments, and advice.
IsraelNationalRadio.com - Live News Analysis, Political and Social Commentary!!
IsraelNationalTV.com - Streaming Television News Coverage
Advertise with IsraelNationalNews
A7-IsraelNationalNews Educational Sites: a project of Beit El Institutions |
Email this story
Click here to print this Page
To remove yourself from the mailing list please