After almost 50 years of being in control of the sections of the Land of Israel known historically as Judea and Samaria, we in Israel are still arguing about it. Under perceived pressure from international and national sources, we are actually entertaining the idea of destroying a thriving Jewish community because some say it was partially built on private Arab land.
Reasonable people need to look at this carefully. These issues didn’t begin yesterday. Let’s take a brief look at the history of the Jewish People’s narrative.
According to the Hebrew Bible, the ‘Book of Books’ considered sacred by the three major monotheistic religions followed by half the population of the world, the Jewish Nation’s connection to the Land of Israel began nearly 4000 years ago with a promise to the national Patriarch, Abraham.
“And HaShem said to Abram after Lot separated from him, ‘Lift up, please, your eyes, and see, from the place where you are there – northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward. Because all the land you see – to you, I will give it, and to your descendants – forever.’” (The Hebrew Bible, Genesis, Chapter 13, Verses 14-15).
Abraham’s descendants grew into a great nation called Israel, taking the name of Abraham’s grandson. After a long sojourn in Egypt, the Israelite Nation returned to their Promised Land, where they lived for nearly 1,300 years. Yet the same Hebrew Bible promised that if they were to stop keeping the Laws contained in the Bible, they would be expelled, only to be returned at a later date.
The predicted expulsion indeed happened. The People of Israel languished in the Exile, but never forgot the promise that they would return to lead a national life in the Land given to their forefathers.
"And it will be, when all these things happen to you –
the Blessing, and the Curse –
that I have placed before you:
Then you will return with your hearts
among all the Goyyim
to where HaShem your Lord has removed you there.
And HaShem your Lord will bring you
to the Land that your ancestors inherited,
and you will inherit it;
and He will be good to you, and increase you,
more than your ancestors. (The Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy, Chapter 30, Verses 1, 5)
And so, in the late 19th century, a new consciousness arose among the Jews who had been scattered throughout the nations, just as the Bible promised they would be. The idea of returning to build a largely neglected, abandoned land became a reality, and Jews began to pour in from the four corners of the earth to recreate the Jewish national homeland.
The new/old State of Israel came into being in 1948. In 1967, after a spate of wars and the near annihilation of the Jewish presence in Israel, the Arab nations within and surrounding the Land planned yet another all-out assault. Their war of annihilation failed, and as Israel struggled to defend itself, it was forced by the circumstances to take control of territory surrounding them, the most strategic being the ancient regions of Judea and Samaria and the Old City of Jerusalem.
Note: these areas form the very heart of the Land of Israel. Judea and Samaria constitute the green, westward-facing silhouette-like shape at the center of the map image below, with Jerusalem, the ancient capital of Israel, like the mouth in the head:
(Map courtesy of the “Vicious Babushka” Website)
So what should be done?
The proper thing to do in the case of Amona is to reimburse the Arab owners of the land that constitutes less than 1 percent of the community’s area. It should be noted that the Arabs were not bringing suit against the government until far-left Jewish organizations tracked them down and urged them on.
But this is all window dressing, in my opinion. The real, overarching answer to these issues is simple:
After 50 years of sitting on the fence of indecision, Israel must stop pussyfooting around, and needs to decide once and for all: are Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem part of our homeland – or not?
I believe the answer is clear. The Land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria, belongs to the Nation of Israel as an eternal inheritance, for the benefit of all humanity.
Judea and Samaria are the core areas of the Land of Israel, which the three Abrahamic monotheistic faiths agree was given to the Jewish Nation as their special place. Though we were exiled from the Land, and for a long time - the covenantal agreement that stipulates our eternal national connection to the Land was never abrogated. On the contrary: the tradition that we would one day return from the Exile is a fundamental idea in all three faiths.
This is the real engine behind Zionism. Let us not forget that we are destined to be a light to the nations. This can only happen in the Land of Israel. And mark my words: it will not be long before the American Jewish community finds its place in the process of the ingathering of the exiles that has been the hallmark of the past 200 years.
Israel is a work in progress. It’s been a long, convoluted road, but my money says that the best is yet ahead of us.Stay tuned.