Although the government approved the establishment of Ramat Arbel in the Lower Galilee earlier this month, the five families living there are soon to be evicted in temporary structures built illegally, but now Minister for the Development of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, is working to prevent this on the grounds of "abuse of enforcement," as he put it.
The community, which is expected to house 500 families, has already been evacuated twice before the government's decision, but the Land Enforcement Authority insists on evicting the families left because of the illegal construction. "The caravan also needs a permit from the Planning and Building Committee," a source familiar with the matter told Israel Hayom, "and the enforcement authorities have to act in accordance with the law, without where or where among the citizens."
Evacuation of the settlement of Ramat Arbel // Nahala movement
Minister Wasserlauf and the Nahala – Settlement Movement, which settles Ramat Arbel, appealed to the ministers of finance, interior and housing to allow, until the settlement is established, temporary housing for the five families, who present their settlement there as Judaizing the Galilee and preventing Arabs from taking over the territory.
According to the minister, "The residents of Ramat Arbel suffer harassment from the Enforcement Authority, which persecutes them despite the massive illegal construction of Arabs in the Galilee, despite the fact that the settlers carried out actions to meet the requirements of the Enforcement Authority, and despite the fact that the government approved the establishment of the settlement."
Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Minister of the Negev and Galilee (archive), photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Wasserlauf recently appealed to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich not to allow the Land Enforcement Authority to evacuate the residents. "I expect Minister Smotrich, who holds the issue close to his heart and is in charge of the enforcement authority, to work with the professionals to stop the spiteful persecution of the settlers and allow them to establish a temporary settlement until the permanent settlement is established," the minister told Israel Hayom.
"Zionist interest"
The Finance Minister's Office responded to the minister's request: "Settlement in Ramat Arbel is a Zionist interest of the highest order, and there is no harassment of families. The practice of letters in the press instead of at a cabinet meeting is an interesting choice.
"Minister Smotrich has been accompanying Ramat Arbel since the beginning, and if Minister Wasserlauf is interested in hearing about the processes being carried out to strengthen the place – including the cooperation of the Ministries of Finance and Housing that led to the government's decision – the ministers meet several times a week, and the Minister of Finance will be more than happy to accompany him in learning."
Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich (archive), photo: Emil Salman
The Finance Ministry's Land Enforcement Authority said in response that "no request has been received on the matter from the Minister for the Development of the Negev and Galilee, and if it is received, it will be answered directly. In Ramat Arbel, buildings were built without permits and contrary to plans, against which an administrative order approved by the court is pending. The Authority will act, as part of its ongoing and comprehensive work, to enforce the law and implement court decisions. Above the necessity, a residential permit is issued by planning institutions, not by the Land Enforcement Authority."
Nahala Movement: "At the time of the government's decision to establish Ramat Arbel, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the ministers expressed their support for the pioneers of the place, and therefore it is unlikely and disproportionate that the supervisory unit would act contrary to this spirit and this policy.
"We expect the enforcement authority to respect the government's policy, and not to try to hijack and destroy the Jewish security of the area, which is threatened with a Bedouin takeover that endangers the establishment of a permanent settlement in the future.
"The core of Ramat Arbel, together with the Nahala movement, have been operating there for more than a year with the close cooperation of Ministers Smotrich, Goldknopf, Ben-Gvir, Wasserlauf, Arbel, Struk and Sofer, who are working together to advance the matter, and with God's help there will soon be an arrangement of a temporary site on the ground."
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