Settler hysteria at Amona
Police and troops are currently demolishing 9 structures illegally built and being occupied by settlers in the territories. The structures were built on privately owned Palestinian land. The settlers have no case, the Supreme Court rejecting their arguments (as if they ever have a credible case on anything) yet are creating a media extravaganza over these nine structures. According to reports thousands of settler supporters protested at Amona and prevented police from destroying the structures. One hundred fifteen people have been injured including two extreme right wing MPS - Eldad and Effie Eitam. The cost of the evacuation has been estimated at 5 million sheckels.
Yet despite this cost, the Olmert government is doing the right thing - in this case simply enforcing law and order. The settlers devastated since the Gaza disengagement see this as an opportunity to vindicate themselves and to intimidate the Israeli government. Amona is after all in the hinterland of the settler community near flagpost settlements Beth El and Ofra. The so called "vanguard", "cream" of the settlement movement live here.
The settlers are reading the Israeli public mood wrong. The Israeli public are sick and tierd of the settler community with all there schtick and false cries. They are sick of the settler community trying to dictate government agenda despite the dubious merits of their case. A recent survey suggested that the settler community is the most hated sector in Israeli society. Contrary to their beliefs the settlers are no "vanguard" of Israeli society and their basic immaturity not to accept that building illegal structures on privately owned Palestinian land is wrong is mindboggling. The behaviour of the Hebron settlers over the market in the last few days is again another example of their juvenile conduct. The families who moved into those buildings did not own that land. Even if the owners were Jewish (according to Haaretz the left wing thinker Haim Hanegbi may in fact have proprietary rights over the land and he does not want the settlers occupying it) does not mean that settlers can move in there. The settlers make an utter farce of basic property law.
It is true as the Likud's Uzi Landau (one of the "leaders" of the rebels) indicates Kadimah will be advantaged electorally by this confrontation. This does not mean it is not is right. Further, it exposes Likud's weak nerve who on the one hand want to get the vote of the extreme right and the centre yet by supporting the settlers would be losing support from the centre and vice versa. The Likud and Bibi's ambivalence towards such a straight forward situation where a bunch of law breakers are trying to steal private land is just another reason why the Likud is a bankrupt party with no ideas whatsoever. It was so predictable that Mr Spin, Bibi Netanyahu would compare Hamas to Hitler, a favourite analogy that the right loves to bring out all occasions (Begin thought Arafat was like Hitler, Bibi thought that the Oslo process was like Munich, some settlers thought the IDF were like Nazis during the recent disengagement, the right compared Rabin to a Nazi collaboator and it goes on and on).
As I have indicated on earlier posts Ehud Olmert is acting in a competent and responsible manner at the moment. Lets hope things continue that way.
Yet despite this cost, the Olmert government is doing the right thing - in this case simply enforcing law and order. The settlers devastated since the Gaza disengagement see this as an opportunity to vindicate themselves and to intimidate the Israeli government. Amona is after all in the hinterland of the settler community near flagpost settlements Beth El and Ofra. The so called "vanguard", "cream" of the settlement movement live here.
The settlers are reading the Israeli public mood wrong. The Israeli public are sick and tierd of the settler community with all there schtick and false cries. They are sick of the settler community trying to dictate government agenda despite the dubious merits of their case. A recent survey suggested that the settler community is the most hated sector in Israeli society. Contrary to their beliefs the settlers are no "vanguard" of Israeli society and their basic immaturity not to accept that building illegal structures on privately owned Palestinian land is wrong is mindboggling. The behaviour of the Hebron settlers over the market in the last few days is again another example of their juvenile conduct. The families who moved into those buildings did not own that land. Even if the owners were Jewish (according to Haaretz the left wing thinker Haim Hanegbi may in fact have proprietary rights over the land and he does not want the settlers occupying it) does not mean that settlers can move in there. The settlers make an utter farce of basic property law.
It is true as the Likud's Uzi Landau (one of the "leaders" of the rebels) indicates Kadimah will be advantaged electorally by this confrontation. This does not mean it is not is right. Further, it exposes Likud's weak nerve who on the one hand want to get the vote of the extreme right and the centre yet by supporting the settlers would be losing support from the centre and vice versa. The Likud and Bibi's ambivalence towards such a straight forward situation where a bunch of law breakers are trying to steal private land is just another reason why the Likud is a bankrupt party with no ideas whatsoever. It was so predictable that Mr Spin, Bibi Netanyahu would compare Hamas to Hitler, a favourite analogy that the right loves to bring out all occasions (Begin thought Arafat was like Hitler, Bibi thought that the Oslo process was like Munich, some settlers thought the IDF were like Nazis during the recent disengagement, the right compared Rabin to a Nazi collaboator and it goes on and on).
As I have indicated on earlier posts Ehud Olmert is acting in a competent and responsible manner at the moment. Lets hope things continue that way.
posted by SJ at 4:13 AM
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