Driving with some friends in the Binyamin region of Eretz Yisrael, just a few
short minutes north of the Yerushalayim neighborhood of Neve Yaakov, we pass by
the hilltop outpost of Giv’at Asaf. It consists of several houses, built using
light construction materials. These structures made of panels of insulated
sheet-metal are commonly known in Israel as caravanim.
Though you probably won’t find this definition in an English dictionary, an
English speaker in Israel who uses the word caravan is more likely to be
referring to one of these than to a mobile home.
The government policy of not creating any new settlements on this
side of the Green Line means it is impossible to get this land zoned for
residential housing, and therefore, any construction here would be illegal.
Does that mean that Jewish construction doesn’t happen? Well, that’s a
different story…
Continuing with the Mitzva
Eli of the Nachala movement fills us in with some background: “The
expulsion from Gush Katif caused a crisis in the settlement movement,” he says.
“There were many who thought maybe it was time to move on and invest in other
undertakings, such as going back to live in the cities and do kiruv outreach and neglect this mitzva
of yishuv Eretz Yisrael. The Nachala
movement was then initiated by Moshe Levinger, z”l, to continue with the settlement enterprise.”
The objective of Nachala is to arouse the Jewish people to settle
the Land of Israel. From a Torah point-of-view, there are two parts to the
mitzva of yishuv Eretz Yisrael; one
part is not to leave the Land in the hands of other nations, and the other part
is not to leave the land desolate but to actively settle it. While the first
part may possibly be fulfilled with Jewish military control, Nachala wants to
see a continuation of the second part, too.
Over time, and as a result of government policies due to American
pressure not allowing new construction, there came to be a perception even
among the people living in the settlements, that whatever is outside the
surrounding fence is not ours and does not legitimately and unquestionably
belong to the Jewish people to settle there as we wish. It may be that the
sense of less security outside the fence contributed to this feeling. This is
something that Nachala is working to change.
Establishing a Presence
Nachala started with building small outposts outside existing
settlements, such as Ma’oz Esther, Shevut Ami, and Ramat Migron. They suffered
(and continue to suffer) many demolitions and evacuations by the army, the
State, and the Civil Administration, but perseverance is the name of the game.
With time and experience and advice from professionals – legal,
political, construction – they learn what works and what doesn’t. The legal
status of the land they want to build on, the distance from an existing
settlement, and other factors, such as the army’s interest in a Jewish presence
for security purposes, can determine what level of risk there is that the
government will demolish or evacuate the outpost. The higher the risk, the less
is invested in more permanent construction and infrastructure. First, tents are
put up, and people come in shifts. Once an outpost becomes more established,
more is invested, and people build more permanent housing, like the caravans we
first saw in Giv’at Asaf, or even cement homes. There is no guarantee for
permanence though; there can always be personnel changes in Civil
Administration or the like that can bring a change of attitude towards an
outpost. In some cases, the outposts may eventually be retroactively authorized
and legalized.
A caravan home can cost anywhere between 30,000 shekels, for a
really basic structure, and up to 100,000 shekels for something considerably
more advanced. Many times, after a demolition, a fundraising campaign is
undertaken to rebuild what had been destroyed.
There are outposts that, after many years, are still subject to
periodical demolitions, and there are those that are largely left intact.
Though they are both illegal, Ma’oz Esther belongs to the former group and
Havot Gil’ad belongs to the latter. The difference is in the factors previously
mentioned.
One of the strategies used by Nachala is to continuously create a
new frontier. Building new outposts causes the existing ones to be considered
more established and lowers their risk of demolition.
Life on the Outpost
The perseverance required means that only idealists take up the
challenge. Once they are in, though, they stay for quality of life, too. The
lack of materialism, the connection to nature, the serenity, and the
breathtaking views are hard to find elsewhere. Some idealism must stay because
there always is a risk of the hardships of demolition and evacuation. Eli
himself has moved from one outpost that suffered repeated demolitions to
another which is considered more established. It had gotten to a point where it
was too much for his family to bear.
Traditionally, it has mostly been people from the dati-leumi (National Religious) sector
that have been involved in this enterprise, though there is some interest from
others as well, including recently from some chareidim. Generally, the initial group forming an outpost is
created by friends and acquaintances, or by people who were living in the
nearby settlement, so these outposts are usually homogenous. There is generally
an absorption committee made up of some residents, to make sure the people who
want to join are normal and compatible with the outpost environment. An outpost
typically consists of anywhere between one to 50 families.
I was surprised when Eli told me that most people living in
outposts do not hold guns. I thought that this would be a requirement, which
would preclude most chareidim from
joining this enterprise, but apparently it isn’t. Each outpost does have
someone constantly on guard though. Additionally, although the outposts are
officially illegal, the army does generally provide security for Jews in these
areas.
Almost everyone living on an outpost has a car. Even if there is
public transportation to the area, it is usually to an established legitimate
settlement, and access from there to the outpost is only by private car. This
may be an obstacle for many chareidim,
where car ownership is not very common due to heavy reliance on public
transportation. Eli tells me that some outpost dwellers, like young couples
just starting out in life, do not own cars, but they usually try to save up so
that within a year or two they can afford one. This may not be so difficult
because they are usually not paying rent. Meanwhile, they manage by getting
rides from others.
The outposts rely a lot on the infrastructure of the nearby
settlements. New outposts generally start with a water tank, but eventually,
connection to water and electricity is usually willingly provided by the nearby
settlement, facilitated by a good working connection between the local
authorities and the management of the outposts. Some settlements even go out of
their way to help the nearby outposts as much as possible. Shopping, education,
and other services are usually available in the nearby settlement.
The people living in outposts are involved in all trades and
practices, though there may be a bigger percentage involved in agriculture and
construction. There are also mothers raising large families with children of
all ages.
On Behalf of Klal Yisrael
Being that these outposts are considered illegal by the Israeli
government (just for the record, by international law, Modi’in Illit and Beitar
Illit are also considered illegal), I was wondering if outpost residents are
generally anti-establishment fringe elements of society, or if this illegal
residency may otherwise cause people to be less law abiding.
Eli explains, “The vast majority of people knows how to
differentiate among laws. They understand that what we are doing is with the
backing of the Jewish nation, and that the laws forbidding outposts are just
political laws stemming from pressure coming from the gentiles. Of course,
there are always some youth who think they can do whatever they want, but they
eventually come to realize that normative rules and laws must be kept.”
There is a limit to the enforcement of laws that are not backed by
the public. Eli relates that he has been taken in for interrogation about his
illegal settlement activity, and the authorities have all the information about
him if they wanted to press charges, but they cannot do so from a public
perspective. He says that is part of Nachala’s strategy – to ensure there is
wide public backing for what they are doing. He says that the greater the
public backing – even if just from the settlement population – the more
difficult it is for the authorities to demolish and evict. He notes that even
the mainstream Leftists do not look at the settlers as lawless thugs just for
the act of settling. They always try to find other things with which to portray
them in a bad light.
Not minimizing their contribution to the effort to retain land in
Jewish hands, Eli notes that the “hilltop youth,” who usually act alone and
with less public backing, are sometimes apprehended and harassed by the
authorities. Aside from minimizing risk, he says, acting with public backing
means the activities are done more authentically in the name of and on behalf
of the Jewish nation.
What Is It All About?
Up until about 20 years ago, the State of Israel still allowed
Jews to establish hilltop communities all over Yehuda, Shomron, and Gaza, which
was usually done with caravans. It was done by unwritten agreement as something
in the national interest. Then the Americans started heavily pressuring the
Israeli government to stop allowing this, and this caused a change in Israeli
policy.
If they could have their way, the Arabs would have long ago taken
over large swaths of land. In general, nobody is stopping them from building
and expanding to their hearts’ content. It was recently discovered that the
Arabs, with the generous help of the European Union, have devised a plan to
inhabit all areas of Yehuda and Shomron currently unpopulated by Jews, by the
year 2030. Unfortunately, the facts on the ground show that they are
progressing as planned. If action is not taken now, it will, chalila, be too late.
It is Nachala’s hope that public action, awareness, and backing
will create enough political pressure on the government to change its policies
and legally allow Jewish settlement, which may be easier with the present
government.
What Now?
With the technical guidance of
Nachala, and the rabbinical guidance of Rav Refoel Kook, shlit”a (son of Rav Simcha,
zt”l, of Rechovot), the first chareidi
outpost, Derech Emunah was
constructed in a strategic area in Yehudah, about two kilometers from the chareidi yishuv of Meitzad. The outpost was put up in the middle of the
night, lasted a day, and was demolished. (To watch a video of its construction,
go to www.tribejournal.org.) Plans are now in the works to reestablish Derech
Emunah as well as another chareidi outpost
in the Binyamin region.
Yoel Berman is
coordinator of Avira D'Eretz Yisroel, an organization devoted to encouraging Anglo-Chareidim
to live in, settle, and build up Eretz Yisroel. He can be reached at info@aviraderetzyisroel.org.
