Wednesday, 26th november 2009:

Why? An Expression of Frustration.

by Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann

Last night I was awoken with some alarming information. Armed settlers had broken into the El Kurd home in Sheik Jarrah at approximately 2:00 a.m. This is the home which was invaded about a month ago by the same settler group (Nahalat Shimon). They were then removed from the rest of the house, but allowed to stay in one room, which was an extension built 'illegally" onto to the original structure. The family - refugees from 1948 - is due to be evicted next week anyway, because the court sees the extension as an inidcation of "breach of contract" and so ending their recognized status as protected tenants. They will be the fourth family evicted in the area as the settlers and their government supporters continue to "liberate' and "Judaize" the neighbourhood.

Apart from the apparent injustice of the whole thing there appears to be collusion between the settler organization, the courts, the municipality and business interests in the U.S.A. That's what surprised me last night. The police removed the settlers, after reading the court decision, rather than backing up the settlers, which they have so often done in the past.

But beyond all that I am still unable to understand the logic behind the settlers' behaviour last night. Why couldn't they just wait and go in under police escort as has been done in the past? And why do thisin the middle of the night?

Furthermore, these people claim to be "religious". I can't comprehend their behaviour in that context either. I always thought that the message of Torah was the pursuit of justice, the pursuit of peace and minimally basic decency in neighbourly relations. There are many, many laws in the Torah regarding decent treatment of sojourners (Gerim) in our midst, and the general statement that the laws are given so that others should say "what a wise and just law" this is. How do they justify such behaviour to themselves? Do they not understand that it is "hillul haShem' of the worst kind? They have the courts, the police, the city authorities, the border guards behind them, the apathy of the Israeli public and press regarding Palestinians and their rights regaarding the whole matter, not to speak of extremely wealthy American supporters to finance them. So why do they need to resort to violence in the middle of the night? In what way does it serve their interests? In what way does it reflect on the justice of their cause? What reflection is it of their understanding of Torah?

And why is there this thundering silence from Israeli society as this travesty of justice continues in our midst? Why are we unable so far to change that?

Yehiel Grenimann
Director, Occupied Territories Department,
RHR