The automatic reaction of the right-wing ministers in the government to the evacuation of the illegal outpost "Or Haim" last Thursday night showed that they have not yet adjusted to their new status.
They are no longer anarchists working to reform the world: they are the law.
In the State of Israel there is a way to establish settlements.
It goes through an orderly and rather short process of discussions and approvals.
Those who wish to cancel the Green Line and apply Israeli sovereignty to the eastern side as well, must behave as the process requires on the western side.
In other words: just as no one would get up in the morning and decide to establish an outpost in someone's memory in the Negev, in the Lowlands or in the Galilee, this should not happen in YOS either. Certainly not under this government.
Clashes during the evacuation of the "Or Haim" outpost named after Rabbi Druckman
It is doubtful whether the settlement enterprise would have reached where it has without its illegal activity.
From Sebastia and Alon Mora to Laor Haim there is a connecting line that crosses the four and a half decades that separate them.
The main point: actions on the ground have become existing facts and living settlements, often contrary to the position of the government that served in Jerusalem (or at the very least, ignoring it).
There are several ministers and Knesset members from the right-wing parties who were part of these actions.
Among them there are also those who accumulated conflicts with the law authorities along the way.
They know the processes well;
The security forces must evacuate an outpost immediately (when it is "wet"), so that no facts are established on the ground.
The fact that this did not happen in May last year in Abitar created a political and legal crisis, which has not been fully resolved to this day.
The lesson in the security system was clear: any fresh invasion of land should be dealt with immediately.
Evacuation of the "Or Haim" outpost in Samaria, photo: Batia Karo/TPS
The right-wing ministers rolled their eyes at their demand to postpone the evacuation for a few days to discuss it.
They knew that this would determine the situation on the ground.
Their choice to roll over those who evicted rather than those who settled was brazen;
They were expected to be furious with the founders of the outpost, who acted secretly and without coordination, and unnecessarily complicated Israel in the political arena vis-a-vis the United States, during the sensitive visit of the American National Security Advisor to the country.
Competitors on Twitter
This was another reminder that tactical operations in the field have a potential for strategic influence, and of the inseparable connection between the dreams of open relations with Saudi Arabia and the daily reality in Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Galant understand this connection well, and acted accordingly.
Gallant and Netanyahu // Photo: Haim Tzach - L.A.M.
Avoiding this would have created a crisis with Washington and Europe, and had the potential to ignite violence on the ground.
It is alarming to discover that their partners in the government do not understand this simple logic, and translate it into the required responsibility.
Instead, they compete with each other with violent tweets on Twitter (the Knesset member who chose to curse the referrers "Yimach their name" needs no more words).
This affair also reflects the inherent anomaly that involves the withdrawal of powers from the Ministry of Defense and the IDF, as part of the coalition agreements.
Finance Minister Smotrich, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Minister Smotrich can announce forever that he "ordered" the coordinator of government operations in the territories not to evacuate the outpost.
In practice, the sovereign on the ground is the commander-in-chief, who is subordinate to the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense. Of course, this reality can be changed, but this requires a change in the law, which means the de facto annexation of the territory and all that implies. Along the way, it is also possible to approve the establishment of any outpost , everywhere and at any time, but the way there also goes through regular decisions and legislation, and not through anarchic actions on the ground.
The way to commemorate Rabbi Druckman should not go through an illegal route but through the king's way: through a government decision.
It is precisely the action of his students that damages his memory, and paints their representatives in the government as those who came to kidnap as much as possible, even if this is against the law.
In their actions and words they demonstrated a dangerous immaturity, which requires at the very least close monitoring of their actions in the future, to make sure that they are acting in accordance with the law and the national interest.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us