Jewish Settlements Retreat

by PRASHER, G. | Category: Focus | Oct 2005

For almost 40 years, since the Six Day War gave Israel control over the 'West Bank' and other Palestinian areas, it has developed a policy of establishing 'settlements' of Jews among a mainly Arab population. They are like 'islands' of self-contained Jewish communities. About 240,000 Jewish settlers have been interspersed in this way.

Many of the settlers have deep convictions about the historical right of Jews to occupy these territories. For the religiously Orthodox among them such convictions are reinforced by God's covenant promises to the patriarchs that the land would be given to their descendants, as to Abram in Genesis 15:18: '... the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants have I given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates"'; or to Jacob in Genesis 35:12: '"The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."'

Today's Orthodox Jewish settlers also cling to prophetic assurances of Israel's restoration to the land despite having suffered dispersal in exile for their sinful unfaithfulness to Jehovah, as for example in Jeremiah 33:11,12: '"... 'For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the LORD. ... 'In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.'"'

Such convictions have motivated sacrificial efforts to rejuvenate and irrigate long neglected agricultural land, or develop light industrial projects. Hard work, initiative and dedication have characterized the settler movement. Inevitably the settler movement has aroused much resentment among the Arab population. They see it as intrusion on their territory, an ill-disguised scheme to gain a foothold with a view to later permanent Israeli occupation.

Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, has traditionally been a leading supporter of the settlement movement. He is not religiously motivated, but wholly dedicated to the preservation of Israel's national territory as 'the only place on earth where the Jews have the right and the power to defend themselves'. As a veteran general who has fought in most of Israel's wars he views the settlements strategically. Those in Gaza, more remote from Israel's heartland, provoked Palestinian attacks, drained Israel's resources and aroused severe criticism abroad. Sharon calculated that it would be politically expedient to evacuate all seventeen settlements in the Gaza Strip, though this involved the removal elsewhere of 8500 settlers. Similarly, from four settlements in the northern area of the West Bank, affecting a further 1500 settlers. By this unexpected unilateral concession, Sharon hoped to strengthen his negotiating position if and when the Middle East peace talks were resumed.

Predictably the settlers were outraged at what they regarded as a betrayal, since Sharon had for decades been a foremost supporter of the settlements policy. Fifty-thousand protesters demonstrated in the Gaza settlements on Independence Day last May, many wearing orange T-shirts with the slogan, 'A Jew doesn't expel a Jew'. Sharon felt keenly the resentment aroused by his policy, and is quoted as saying, "This decision is more difficult for me than all the battles I was in ... it was the hardest decision I ever had to make." Nevertheless his conviction held firm that it was a necessary expedient having regard to the current situation. He went on to win a hard fought battle for approval by the Knesset, and in August this year the Israeli army and police supervised the whole operation.

There were highly charged emotional confrontations as more resistant groups expressed their indignation at having invested years of time and labour in developing Israeli approved settlements, yet now being obliged to cut their losses and abandon their homes. But for the most part there was reluctant compliance in the face of a massive police and army presence. A minority offered passive resistance. Some groups of protestors tried to hamper the police and army, but finally all the settlements had to be abandoned.

The sad disruption of so much built up over decades of intensive labour brings to mind God's solemn declaration in Ezekiel 21:27: 'I will overturn, overturn, overturn it ... until he come whose right it is'. (RV) Israel nationally remains in unbelief as to the identity of Him whose right it is. That tragic unbelief results in repeated overturning of Israel's self-reliant endeavours to achieve abiding security in the promised land.

PRASHER, G. | Oct 2005
Focus