Needed: a "Build the Land of Israel Fund"

By Yehudit Katzover and Nadia Matar
November 26, 2009
Kislev 8, 5770


The announcement of the building freeze in Judea and Samaria is proof that Netanyahu, to our shame, is following in the path of Ariel Sharon - betraying the will of the Jewish majority that elected a right-wing government, and betraying Eretz Israel. There is only a single goal to the freeze: to persuade the Arabs to participate in negotiations to advance the establishment of the Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, and thereby relinquish Eretz Israel.

There are those among us who say, "These are only words," "This is just tactics with the United States," "Don't worry, the Arabs won't agree to any plan." We cannot make light of words. Netanyahu already failed when he said "two states," which means surrendering Eretz Israel, just like when he said "freeze," which means "construction in Eretz Israel is illegal." Words have power, and they strongly penetrate. If our stance since the Six Day War had been consistent and we had used the suitable words: "This is our land" and had acted accordingly and immediately annexed these portions of the homeland, we would dwell securely in it.

Now we must respond powerfully. If we continue with routine life, we will fall victim to the other planned decrees that apparently aim to eliminate the entire Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria. in order to establish a Palestinian state here. As is well-known, this would constitute an existential threat to all the small State of Israel.

As long as we thought that the State of Israel is a democratic country, we could make do with demonstrations in order to try and influence the government. For a long time, Israel has not been democratic. The leftist policy rules it, despite the voters' desire for nationalism and Zionism. Now we must channel all our energy and strength to the cancellation of the decree, by construction, construction, and more construction. We must build throughout Judea and Samaria, within the settlements, in private houses, and outside the settlements, on the surrounding hills.

The call of the hour is therefore to establish a fund for the construction of Eretz Israel, in which millions of dollars will be invested in order to enable continued construction throughout Judea and Samaria. We are convinced that if the left found donors in Israel and abroad who are willing to contribute enormous sums for their slanderous, anti-Israel propaganda activity, that surely there are more donors, friends and lovers of Israel, who will be ready to contribute to the struggle to build the land and materialize the Zionist dream of returning the Jewish people to its land.

All the information for the "Construction of Eretz Israel" project is ready. We are in contact with Jewish contractors who are capable of building a 48 square meter house within five days, at a cost of NIS 100,000, or a 70 square meter structure for NIS 200,000. Many young couples are willing to live in such simple structures, on the hills and/or in the settlements. All that is missing is a flow of budgets.

If we are successful in raising large sums, resulting in the construction of dozens of new structures throughout Judea and Samaria, this will constitute a Zionist response to the Prime Minister's collapse. They might succeed in destroying one or two structures - we will have to immediately rebuild them, and realize that the building was not for nothing, since the construction of the structure that was later destroyed raised the flag of the struggle and kindled the fervor to continue to build.

A week ago, two houses, each costing NIS 250,000, were destroyed in Negohot. Now, five families are waiting to build their homes on the same hill in Negohot. In Mevo Dotan a sheep pen worth NIS 200,000 was destroyed - that very night they began to build a new sheep pen, within the ruins, of much smaller dimensions. If the Build the Land of Israel Fund had already existed, we could have rebuilt the pen in its previous size, and even added housing units for young couples who are standing in line to populate the hills of Judea and Samaria.

With stubbornness and devotion for each clod of earth in Eretz Israel we will merit possessing it. In this month of Kislev, let us draw strength from the Maccabees, who heroically and fearlessly violated the decrees of the empire. With G-d's help, we will raise from Israel's friends in the country and abroad the necessary budgets, and we will set forth on a construction drive all over Judea and Samaria. In place of a freeze - construction. In place of halting - breaking through. In place of fallen spirits - we will raise the people's spirit. With G-d's help, this is within our power.


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Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:wfit2@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org/
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DISPUTED TERRITORIES:
Forgotten Facts About the West Bank and Gaza Strip
February 2003

Introduction

In 1967, Israel fought a desperate war of self-defense and despite dire odds, won. As a result, the Jewish State not only survived, it also came into possession of additional lands, including territory that is of vital importance to its security.

The Six Day War and its consequences still affect the Middle East today. A clear understanding of how and why the territories came into Israels possession in 1967 and an awareness of Israel's connection to these areas are essential components of any fair and balanced discussion of their current status. This information has taken on particular importance in light of the current situation and Palestinian attempts to reduce a complex conflict to a single issue - Israel's presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Palestinians and their supporters are attempting to promote their cause by channeling every event through the prism of the disputed territories. In doing so, they have succeeded in diverting the discussion away from the relevant facts, rewriting or ignoring history and reinventing international law to suit their aims. These facts must not be forgotten.

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