Excerpts;
“Elyakim Levanon, the rabbi of Elon Moreh for the past 23 years, has never been so popular among the settlers. He is the elder rabbi of the ‘Hill Top Youth,’ that idealistic, anti-establishment group of young men and women inhabiting the hills near Nablus – often in small, illegal outposts – and hitchhiking on the roads shunned by most Israelis who fear being shot by Palestinian terrorists.”
“Elon Moreh, like other settlements around Nablus – such as Bracha, Yitzhar and Itamar – is both geographically and ideologically detached from much of Israeli society. Most Israelis do not know where Elon Moreh is, and those who do would never dream of visiting – even in a bullet-proof bus. Veteran residents of Elon Moreh include Menahem Felix and Beni Katzover, founding members of Gush Emunim, an organization positing ideals that – if recent election polls are to be trusted – are far from meeting general consensus.”
“Nevertheless, Levanon is one of the most influential leaders of religious Zionism in post-disengagement Israel. He has played a central role in all of the settler movement’s major battles over the past few months, beginning with disengagement itself and continuing on to a public call for military insubordination, as well as caring for evacuated Gush Katif families.”
“‘What is the lesson to be learned from Amona?’ …”
“‘It was the hand of God that brought us to Amona,’ answered the compact, sober-eyed rabbi, who heads a group of rabbis representing the spiritual needs of the Gush Katif evacuees. His message was that religious Zionism has to stand united to express itself unabashedly and accept responsibility for spiritual leadership.“
Rabbis’ Initiative: Don’t Vote for Party That Won’t Promise
Full Text;
“A group of rabbis has turned to all the religious and hareidi parties, asking them to sign a commitment now that they will not join any government whose guidelines include giving away land.”
“The group is led by Rabbi David Druckman of Kiryat Motzkin and the Pikuach Nefesh [Saving Lives] organization. The rabbis have issued a call to the public: Don’t vote for a party that does not offer this guarantee.”
“The rabbis explain that the goal is to prevent a repetition of the situation of the recent government term, whereby right-wing parties were partners in the Sharon government.”
“A letter was sent to Shas, United Torah Judaism, Jewish Front (Baruch Marzel), and National Union-National Religious Party, asking them to sign on the dotted line. The declaration states:
“‘We the undersigned declare that we will not join – under any circumstances, nor for any material or spiritual promises – a government whose guidelines include partial or full agreement to the Road Map or to any other plan that includes giving away Jewish communities or any territory of the Land of Israel to foreigners, or to autonomy for Arabs in the Land of Israel – and all this even in exchange for peace agreements.'”
“Rabbi Druckman told Arutz-7’s Ruti Avraham that as of now, only Marzel’s party has signed.”
“The National Union/NRP list addressed this question in the merger agreement it signed last month. The agreement states that if, within the next two years, the question of whether or not to join the coalition arises, an independent panel is to make the final decision. The panel is to comprise six members: two appointed by each party, and former Chief Rabbis Shapira and Eliyahu.”