(Israelnationalnews.com) Over 300 activists from Israel and abroad
convened Thursday evening in the Samarian village of Havat Gilad to
formulate strategies for resisting the government ban on Jewish
construction in Judea and Samaria. The conference, organized by David
Ha'ivri of the Shomron Liaison Office to strengthen the connection
between the region and Jewish communities throughout the world,
featured Israeli parliamentarians, Diaspora Jewish activists, local
municipal leaders and radio personalities.
Among guests from
overseas was Moshe Elkman, chairman of the Australian Friends of Gush
Katif and Shomron (Samaria), which has recently joined a program
twinning Havat Gilad and the Australian Jewish community of Melbourne.
Elkman advocated a united front that could offer alternative leadership
for the State of Israel based on Jewish values and protecting the
territorial integrity of the Land of Israel.
Veteran Israeli
activist Dr. Gadi Eshel praised the heroism of the Havat Gilad
villagers as well as the pioneers from other hilltop communities. Eshel
condemned the police brutality and government harassment residents
routinely face, and specifically singled out the example of Havat Gilad
leader Itai Zar, who is currently banished from his home by court order
after being charged with allegedly assaulting a police vehicle. He has
categorically denied the accusations, and similar charges against other
nationalists usually are dropped before the cases even come to court.
Shomron
Liaison director David Ha'ivri applauded the partnership initiatives
being developed between local schools and Jewish schools abroad as well
as the twinning of Havat Gilad with the Jewish community of Melbourne.
Ha'ivri called on additional communities throughout the world to join
in and support the growth of “Jewish communities in the heart of our
historic homeland.”
Ha'ivri also
recalled that Gilad Zar – in whose memory the village was established
following his assassination by Fatah gunmen – was an outstanding
community leader who continues to serve as a role model for local
residents and activists. Ha'ivri spoke with pride of his own
participation in the development of Havat Gilad and expressed
confidence that Gilad would have been proud of the community’s young
pioneers.
Urging participants to formulate an effective plan of action, Yishai Fleisher of Israel National Radio
argued that the true enemy is not the Israeli government or local Arabs
but actually Western powers who he said bully Israeli leaders and
exacerbate the Middle East conflict.
“We know that European
governments are funding local groups that work to undermine the State
of Israel and the Zionist ethos," he said. "The United Nations has made
it its goal to portray Israel as a rogue nation and the United States
is pushing an arms race in the Middle East with billions of dollars in
sales to the Arabs. All this leads us to the conclusion that we must
fight against the foreign forces that seek to divide us. We must fight
to restore a strong and independent Israel.”
Following the
program, a brief open forum took place in which attendees hotly
debated reactions to government policy. Some Israeli media outlets
focused on this debate rather than the official program and serious
discussions that preceded it.