"Balancing the security need with government decisions": Following criticism of Defense Minister Galant's directive Monday morning to allow settlers in Judea and Samaria to reestablish the Homesh yeshiva, a senior political source told Israel Hayom that this is a balanced action and claims that it will lead to an improvement in the security situation.
Earlier this morning, yeshiva students secretly relocated the yeshiva - a few hundred meters from where it sat until today. This is a controversial step, because it was taken on the orders of Defense Minister Galant and Defense Ministry Minister Smotrich, but without the required permits and therefore contravenes military law in the region.
"Relocating the Homesh yeshiva to state land is not a worsening of the security situation but an improvement of it," the official said. "Unlike the previous government, which preserved the stay of Jews on Palestinian land, in violation of the law, now the government is acting in light of the coalition agreements and allowed the residents to voluntarily move to state land. This action balances the security need with government decisions, and in practice will calm the situation on the ground, not the other way around."
The move drew harsh criticism from the opposition. Meirav Michaeli attacked the move, claiming that it harms state security for political interests. "The gift given by Defense Minister Galant in giving a V.I.P card to the sleepwalking settlers from Chumash and their destructive whims comes at the expense of Israel's security, its future and its democracy," the Labor Party chairwoman said. "Gallant proved today that he doesn't care about most of the people and the hundreds of thousands who supported him after he was fired, he cares about the anarchist settlers."
Defense Minister Galant's gift of giving a V.I.P card to the sleepwalking settlers from Chumash and their destructive whims comes at the expense of Israel's security, future and democracy. That is the priority of this government. Galant proved today that he doesn't care about most of the people and the hundreds of thousands who supported him after he was "fired," he cares about the anarchist settlers...
— Merav Michaeli (@MeravMichaeli) May 29, 2023
Yesh Din, an organization representing the Palestinian landowners on which the illegal outpost of Homesh sits, said in response to the move: "This is a sin for a crime. The new location of the yeshiva still does not allow Palestinian landowners to reach their land and continues their dispossession of the land. Instead of evacuating the outpost immediately, Israel is rewarding criminals who trespass."
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