MK Struk slams Ya’alon over bevy of unjust practices in Judea-Samaria favoring illegal Arab activity, changing facts on the ground.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) had no choice but to essentially concede to figures presented against him in a question session at the Knesset on Wednesday by MK Orit Struk (Jewish Home), which reveal the unfair practices against Jews in Judea and Samaria.
The exchange between Struk and Ya’alon, in Hebrew, can be seen here:
Struk began by responding to Ya’alon’s plan to heighten criminal enforcement of construction crimes, noting there is enforcement on only 2% of construction crimes inside sovereign Israeli territory, with percentages much higher in Judea and Samaria.
The IDF Civil Administration under Ya’alon’s guidance does not demand from the Palestinian Authority (PA) construction outline plans or building permits in the region, said Struk, observing that as a result Ya’alon’s plan “will only go against Jews.”
“According to the figures that your people presented in the Knesset, demolitions of homes in the Jewish sector are conducted at much higher percentages than in the Arab sector,” said Struk. “In the Jewish sector they destroy over a third, and in the Arab sector less than a quarter is destroyed. These are the figures that you all presented.”
Struk further noted that Ya’alon had answered a question of hers before, saying that the Civil Administration is advancing 31 Arab construction projects in Area C – regions designated under the 1993 Oslo Accord as being under full Israeli administration – “and not even a single Israeli project.”
Raising yet another troubling point, Struk continued by saying that members of Ya’alon’s Defense Ministry had told her “the Civil Administration is investing money and human resources into illegal Palestinian outposts for electricity,” which the residents don’t pay for.
The MK then cited a report by the Regavim movement, which revealed that in 2014 alone in the Gush Adumim region of Israeli communities to the east of Jerusalem, nearly 1,000 illegal buildings were constructed by the PA on Israeli state land in an astonishing land grab.
Illustrating the lack of enforcement against Arab infringements, she further cited the Civil Administration head, who said in the Knesset he doesn’t feel comfortable issuing demolition orders when he knows that most of them will not be enforced, so he is considering to stop issuing demolition orders.
“How do you live with that? Where’s the equality?” asked Struk after the string of points she raised, before turning the forum over to Ya’alon to respond.
Making order – what kind?
Ya’alon in his response tried to avoid the issue somewhat by saying the absolute numbers of demolitions of illegal Arab buildings is higher that that of Jewish building, even if the percentage is much lower given the fact that there is so much more illegal Arab construction.
The point of course does not negate that facts are being changed on the ground in favor of Arab control of the region, due to the greater relative likelihood Jewish buildings have of being destroyed, along with the severe building freeze of Jewish construction gripping the area amid a housing crisis.
Ya’alon defended the one-sided building projects in Area C for Arab residents, saying it was so as to “make order,” and therefore they had been allowed to build so as to impose an “order” on the region’s construction and enforce violations. He did not reference the fact that no Jewish projects had beengranted.
Gush Adumim is a known problem according to Ya’alon, who noted there are High Court orders stopping demolitions and that quite often there is Arab building on Shabbat when there is no building enforcement so as to quickly create facts on the ground.
Regarding the unfair status in Judea and Samaria, a forum of Struk’s Jewish Home party in the region on Monday called on the party’s representatives in the Knesset to demand answers as to why there is a freeze on Jewish construction, expressing their shock that the party continues to sit in a coalition imposing such a freeze.
yamit82 Said:
this is not the relevant point…it is Israel who controls the land of israel and who gives it away….it is Israelis who decide whether to keep YS, the Mount, Jerusalem, gaza, etc. what I am saying is that Israelis do not want YS, do not care about arab Jerusalem, do not care about Jewish soveriegnty over the Mount and the religious sector are in the forefront of this abandonment.
yamit82 Said:
no such concept…. rights to YS were prevented until Israel took it over…then Israel prevented those rights but still has not given the land to the muslims like they gave the Mount….therefore Jewish settlement in YS can still obtain if the GOI give the go ahead…and there is enough international law to wave as a justification while doing it. it should have been waved and settled all along.
yamit82 Said:
this appears to be your answer to my question as to who will exert power over the Mount which is ALREADY in Israels hands. Apparently you depend on a lone zealot to ignite a world war while at the same time you poo poo diplomacy,hasbara and lawfare which has beenalmost totally abandoned. Basically you are admitting that few, including the religious sector, want Jewish soveriegnty over the MOunt; a sovereignty which does not even need any further conquest, it only needs the support of a few of those 750k jews who thought a rabbis funeral was more important than the pollution of BBQ’s and soccer matches on top of the temple.
I find it strange that you keep talking about conquest when the problems of YS, Jerusalem and the Mount are areas already conquered but the Jews are frozen in accepting their conquest.
yamit82 Said:
there are fewer who would defend jewish soveriegnty over the Mount than the land. By relying on the single zealot or the few “good” jews to start a war rather than on reversing the policies of Israel through education, diplomacy, lawfare you have basically admitted that what we whine to the foreigners about is really an Israeli problem. If religious Jews in Israel do not find the Mount important then why would the rest of israel or the world?
Ted Belman Said:
Securtiy is a given as the one point on which all Israelis might agree..but, when it comes to making a case it is not only the first item on the agenda, but other than the arabs recognizing a Jewish state, appears to be almost the sole item. The issue is not why security but why not Jewish settlement in YS or why not the claims to land in YS. it is the absence of legitimate claims from the diplomatic agenda that has fueled ALL the libels of jewish land theft and war. Due to this item being absent the world believes the Jews stole the pals land and the pals have a legitimate right to resist by force.
Unless Israel brings a change in agenda and includes loudly the Jews claims to settlement and land then we should all stop fixating and whining about those unfair foreigners who in fact have simply accepted the same false narrative that the GOI appears to have accepted by its absence.
I have been reading Israeli newspapers for almost 15 years and have come to the conclusions that the source of most of israels libels, and foreign obsttruction, results from the consistent lack of these apparently taboo words from successive governments of Israel:
the same goes for the Mount. right now it appears to the world, and even many Israelis due to educational ignorance, that the Jews are thieves of the lands of others and are merely stalling and bargaining(as Jews like to do) to get pieces of what does not belong to them. I am waiting for a PM to shout these words daily, I am waiting for an FM to call in the ambassadors and educate them on their treaties and obligations to the Jewish people to facilitate immigration and settlement in the mandate, to demand the cessation of their blood libels on the jews. The weak pals are able to make ludicrous statements while the strong victors cannot even utter the most basic statements of truth. Ask yourself the question, why are these taboo words never spoken, why doesn’t the FM make these facts known to ambassadors in the public eye? Its absurd to whine and then say nothing and do nothing.
yamit82 Said:
Good point.
bernard ross Said:
I should have said Most commenters!!! 🙁
Comment to BR in moderation
bernard ross Said:
Some Arabs not by any means most can claim that they have been here for hundreds even thousands of years and have prior rights over jews who came from Europe or Russian Khazar’s, Ethiopian converts and Jews from a myriad of countries outside of Palestine. Jews who lived in Europe for 1900 yrs have more of a claim on Europe than Palestine in their eyes. They will say if Jews as they claim can come back after 1900 centuries certainly Arabs have a right to return after 65-66 years.
Esentially except for a few most jews have given up any claim to the land of israel by staying in the diaspora even preferring it to returning when it was possible leaving it in the hands and any rights in the hands of non Jews.
Rights never affirmed are no longer rights there are no vacuums!!!
A single zealous Jew can set the whole world aflame only in Jerusalem kill any peace process and even set off theoretically WW3.
Again Jerusalem and the Temple mount are sufficient to thwart any plan to give away the land. You don’t require PR Jewish Unity just the desire and will of a few good Jews.
yamit82 Said:
Hence, the reason for the continuing failure of israels diplomatic, legal and PR agenda internationally: the case has not been made nor even adequately attempted. I see only 2 issues put forth by the GOI: Security and recognition by the arabs of a Jewish state. There is no case put forward claiming that Israel and the jewish people have a legal and legitimate right to settle in YS and when others assert the opposite Israel does not disagree.
It is unusual for someone to avoid claiming rights, arguments which strengthen their claims and proof of innocence against libel….. when this happens the natural response is the assumption of guilt.
yamit82 Said:
I did not miss it, I stated that it appears to be the only unifying factor.
bernard ross Said:
pay attention…. 😛
Ted Belman Said:
Eceryone talks about security yet nobody defines what they mean by it.
I submit it’s a red herring and there is no such thing in an Israeli context as security. There is only viable deterrence.
What all commenters have missed is that security is the only common denominator that unites all Israelis and I submit that’s why it’s put at the top of our leaders agenda when trying too make Israel’s case.
@ Yidvocate:I totally agree.
I didn’t see anything special or outstanding in this story to see why he was chosen. I would think an IDF chief should have displayed outstanding qualifications and decision making skills.
Is Danino an incompetent police chief, a politician pursuing his agenda, or the mouthpiece and stooge of a politician in pursuit of his agenda? In any case the conclusion is that he is too politicized or incompetent to continue the position.
Yidvocate Said:
security is a necessity but cannot be the only goal of negotiations over YS. furthermore, focusing on getting the arabs to recognize a jewish state is a distraction from real goals such as getting land and settleing Jews. All the arabs need to do is say ok we recognize a jewish state…taqiyya. get land, settle Jews…if you settle jews you will end up with the land. the most important thing is to settle jews and if Israel concentrated on settling diaspora non israeli jews in YS the arguments of the GC are moot as they would not be citizens of the “occupying power” Israel should use its own taqiyya by massively settling non Israeli Jews in YS direct from the diaspora in accordance with the original prime directive governing that area. Give free land grants like the US did in the Homestead Act to bring large amounts of Jews to develop the vacant lands. Let them retain their current citizenship to a later date, that way no one can bring an action under the GC.
@ bernard ross:
Security as the sole remaining line of defence is doomed to fail and in fact undermines security itself. This is so because if the Jews do not own the land, how are they entitled to be secure in the land of others? Other than inherent antisemitism (no small factor) it is this very situation that leads to world condemnation of the Jewish state. We have abandoned our demonstrable right to the land in favour of the hopeless shield of “security” to our peril.
yamit82 Said:
this may be true
yamit82 Said:
My view is that if Jews cannot unify against the libel of illegal and illegitimate Jewish settlement in Israel they will not have a chance of uniting over this religious issue of the Mount especially considering that the major religious sector is against pressing this issue.
Jews legitimacy to settle in Judea and samaria is a basic issue that is even written down in internationally legal binding documents and the Jews cannot agree to support rights declared for them by gentiles.
Who will rise up to take the mount? Certainly not the Haredi who have already defused that path. If the religious cannot agree to support it then who will?
the rights of jews to settle in Israel should be the main issue if that doesn’t unify then only security and the need to protect ones life and family obtains…..which, in fact, is exactly the only factor in the negotiating agenda of the GOI. Perhaps the GOI and BB recognize the fact that security is the only uniting factor and therefore reflect the Israeli population.
BB intalled Yaalon, just as he installed Livni,for the purpose of deflecting the responsiblity for his decisions to them. this enables him to maintain the image of a right wing nationalist while de facto instituting left wing anti zionist agenda. It is always more convincing when a supposed right winger institutes left wing agenda. When one does not win the executive on the basis of policies and platform it is good to have a mole in place. Livni and Yaalon could not be there making these decisions if BB did not want those decisions implemented. They are his lightning rod while he appears clean.
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
I have oft stated that Y&S has been ceded to the Palis long ago and any future negotiations will be over 6-7% of what Israel has decided it wants to keep. Of-course it’s choreographed!! Only the simple and obtuse haven’t seen it for a long time going back before BB.
Jerusalem and the temple mount is the deal breaker.
Jews need to stop wasting time energy and treasure, for the time being on hilltops and building additions within their settlements and put all their efforts into retaking the mount from the Muslims.
So Ya’alon admitted the Israeli government is helping the Arabs take over Area C.
Say what you like about the Labor Party it never pretended to say one thing and do the opposite. Why should any Jew vote for the Likud which is a bunch of self-serving hypocrites? The same might be said for Jewish Home which passively accepts Netanyahu’s anti-Jewish policies and says nothing.
It is all choreographed leading to abandoning all of Y & S, Jerusalem, Golan, Negev, etc.
Lieberman moments ago adopted the meretz platform, actually he never was any different. Nor was or is Ya’alon. Nor Netanyahu.
Hey! Do not forget to go “serving” and getting killed to defend… what? Please remind me. I, a former soldier, OT Lebanon, forgot.