Commentary;
Sometime on Monday afternoon, groups of religious and nationalist teenagers and young adults will attempt to enter and reestablish the town of Homesh, one of 4 Shomron towns where Jews were expelled in August of 2005 as part of the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif.
This author questions a strategy of making this move as a singular action comprised of a few thousand people rather than a part of a wider action involving tens or hundreds of thousands or more; including numerous diversions and whether this action should itself be a diversion for a wider action, perhaps aimed at government change or at spreading the police too thin and thus shutting down the country.
Indeed, perhaps there are such plans and that a lot of people are keeping very tight-lipped, unlike the situation in past events. But there seems no outward indication that there is any wider action planned other than re-entering Homesh.
But we should not be deceived or lulled by today’s government spin as articulated in Haaretz; “IDF, Police Say May Not be Able to Block Return to Settlement.” Last Friday, this blog picked up an Israel National News report that Two Battalions Guarding Homesh from Jews. Will the regime dirty tricks begin? Will we see a repeat of the regime actions prior to the expulsions of August, 2005 where buses transporting participants are stopped cold by the police at their scheduled points of departure?
We pray for the success of these nationalists in re-entering and reestablishing Homesh beginning with this Pesach. But at the same time, if there is another dose of Amona-type police brutalization, what will be the impact on these great young people? Is this too big a bite, on it’s own, for a singular action against an evil with relatively unlimited manpower, resources and cruelty? Have the various day-after scenarios been sufficiently thought out? Will this regime’s brutality bring on fatalism and demoralization amongst this generation of young people should they be brutalized by police who are devoid of moral code or character? This author sincerely prays that he is wrong! MB