A Call to Yesha Residents: Pass Through Freely!, by Hillel Fendel (Israel National News)
For related report, click here.
“People will regard our towns as being practically in another country!”
“The authorities will be able to close of the crossings at any time, and hermetically seal off and isolate our communities for various purposes, such as when they want to destroy outposts.”
Full Text;
The Yesha-based Komemiyut (Uprightness) organization calls upon the pioneering Jewish residents not to cooperate with plans to stop all non-local cars from driving freely to Yesha (Judea and Samaria).
A test-run of a new army system to control traffic into and out of Yesha is in place at the Eliyahu Crossing, leading into Karnei Shomron, Tzofim, Alfei Menashe and other areas. Local residents are identified by car-stickers or electronically by their license plates, and are allowed through freely; other vehicles – such as those of visitors and suppliers – will have to either wait in line with Arabs, including the potential terrorists who are the reason for the checkpoints, or will be routed through a different line.
A recent issue of Komemiyut’s weekly journal wrote as follows:
In the past few years, the horizons around us are changing, as are our daily lives. The expanses of Samaria, Binyamin and Judea are being sliced and cut through with ugly, broad concrete walls, which have wounded both the landscape and the loyal Jewish heart.
Of late, large threatening “border crossings” have been added to these walls, closing us off even further. The security establishment has now unilaterally decided on a system that effectively turns the checkpoints into full-fledged border crossings. The test-run at the Tzofim Checkpoint is designed to check our behavior, in preparation for its implementation at all the checkpoints.
…So what’s so terrible if we get to pass freely through special lanes? But what about our relatives and guests who will have to wait for a long time in the slow lanes – they will think twice about coming! In addition, the new system turns the Partition Wall into a de-facto political border in every sense. The authorities will be able to close of the crossings at any time, and hermetically seal off and isolate our communities for various purposes, such as when they want to destroy outposts.
“We call upon the residents not to mark their cars with stickers, and not to register our cars with the electronic identification system.”
The new system is a copy of the closing of the Kisufim Crossing – which hermetically sealed off Gush Katif in preparation for its destruction – throughout all of Judea and Samaria. With our past bitter experience, we know that we cannot let this begin to happen.
But most important of all is the far-reaching psychological influence this will have on the public regarding the status of our communities. People will regard our towns as being practically in another country! We will be out the public eye, and out of the public heart.
Therefore, we must stand strong at this time – and refuse absolutely to cooperate with the new system, so as to cause it to be withdrawn and canceled.
We call upon the residents not to mark their cars with stickers, and not to register our cars with the electronic identification system. Let us arrive at the checkpoints and demand to be let through. If they stop us, we will stand in place and not move until they let us. It will cost us much time and nerves at first – but we must realize that the army needs these fast lanes even more than we do, in order to avoid a dangerous mixing of Israeli and Arab cars.
If we are willing to pay a price in the short run, and don’t give in to IDF threats and the natural desire for short-term convenience, the situation will return to what it was. If not, we will pay a much higher price in the medium and long range.
This civil struggle is part of a larger campaign involving Knesset Members, regional council heads, lawyers, and more. We have too many walls, fences and checkpoints! We must wake up, stand upright, and continue to be a free nation in our land!