The illegal settlement Homesh was originally established as a Nahal (military) outpost in the occupied West bank but turned into a civilian village shortly after that. While it was originally inhabited mostly by secular right-wing Jews, the Second Intifada convinced most of those to leave and their place was taken by mostly religious (orthodox) Jews who wanted to show their support for the settlement drive in the Occupied Territories. To increase the likelihood that Israeli governments would hesitate to evacuate the illegal settlement, a Yeshiva was set up in the village as well. As in so many instances, the initial establishment of the Army outpost, was done for one reason only: the land could be taken for “security purposes”. It has been clear from the beginning that Homesh was established on land that belongs to Palestinians from the nearby village of Burqa, a fact that was recognized and acknowledged by the courts.
As part of the disengagement of the Gaza strip in 2005, the Israeli government also evacuated several illegal outposts in the Westbank and Homesh was one of these. The population was evicted and the illegally built homes and other structures, were demolished. But settlers have not stopped in their longing for Homesh and the Yeshiva was re-established in 2006 and students, living in nearby (illegal) settlements come to study in Homesh. While being set up at first in a tent, the yeshiva later-on build modular structures and provisory sleeping arrangements for the students, even though the Army should have prevented this. The yeshiva was destroyed by Israeli forces a number of times but every time the settlers rebuild it.
All this while the rightful owners of the land, the Palestinians of Burqa, were not allowed to reach their land and harassment by young settler thugs was an almost daily phenomenon.
Then, last December, in a terrorist attack, one of the Yeshiva students was shot and killed. The army reacted fast and during a massive manhunt, the murderers were apprehended. The direct consequence of the murder was the return of Homesh to the front-page of Israeli news, and with that to the attention of politicians hoping to benefit from the renewed focus on the settlement activity and demand that Homesh be re-established to avenge the Jewish blood that was spilled. The family of the murdered student decided to sit “Shiva” (the weeklong mourning period) in the Yeshiva in Homesh and appeals were made to the government to allow the yeshiva to remain.
In the weeks that followed, numerous attacks on Palestinians were reported, including desecration of graves of Palestinians and settlers were rampaging through Burqa and adjacent villages, destroying property and agricultural growth. This was mostly ignored both by the public and the politicians, until one of them, Yair Golan of the left-wing Meretz party, called for action against these Jewish terror attacks, calling the settlers “sub-humans”. While he could have chosen his words somewhat more careful, he did succeed in bringing settler violence to the fore. Opposition leader Netanyahu, talked about Nazi terminology and other politicians called the settlers the modern-day pioneers and the true Zionists.
But the facts are simple. The settlers in the Homesh yeshiva are illegal, breaking Israeli law. The army, who is supposed to keep Israeli law in the Occupied Territories is allowing Jewish terrorist activity on an almost daily basis. And politicians on the right are exploiting the complicated composition of the current Israeli government to prevent necessary action against the terrorists and hoping to bring down the government.
And Homesh is only one example of the lawlessness of Israeli settlers in the Occupied Territories. The Netanyahu governments for years have allowed the “Hilltop Youth” do the dirty work for them, making lives of Palestinians miserable, destroying property, crops and olive trees. It might have been expected that the current government would behave differently, and while some ministers express their willingness and urge to look at the situation differently (Bar Lev talking about “settler violence”), until now very little is done to put those words into action. Understood, the right side of this government may not have a big problem with the current situation but it should be realized, especially by them, that through the inaction of the Israeli government against the settlers rampaging through Palestinian villages and the continued illegal settling of Jews on Palestinian land, counter violence is the obvious (be it not justifiable) result and the blood of the yeshiva student is on their hands just as it is on the hand of his murderers.
Will Homesh settlers be removed? Will the provisory Yeshiva be destroyed? As in so many instances, apparently politics and not justice will prevail here and it is hard to predict where that will lead.
I hope you found this article interesting and I welcome any comments you may have.
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