Sometimes the messiah comes dancing, and sometimes crying. Havat Gilad, a settlement outpost near Nablus, should have been legalized long ago, and not just as a result of Rabbi Raziel Shevach's murder in early January.
Shevach, a 35-year-old father of six, was killed at the entrance to Havat Gilad, where he lived with his family, by a terrorist cell, members of which are still at large. Despite the tragic timing of the decision to declare this outpost legal, it is still a good and worthy decision.
While the declaration is currently just words, and whether it will actually be implemented remains to be seen, the declaration communicates a clear message to all terrorists everywhere that the price for murdering Jews will also be paid in settlements, and that where they cut life off, life will regrow. As the Bible says: "I passed over you and saw you wallowing in your own blood, and I said unto you, in your own blood, live!" (Ezekiel 16:6.)
But there is still much to be done. Havat Gilad is only a drop in a sea of "unauthorized" settlements: 7,000 homes are under threat of demolition in dozens of neighborhoods, outposts and other settlements in Judea and Samaria. Just recently, after a long delay, the cabinet established a team under prominent settler Pinchas Wallerstein to implement decisions reached by the Joint Committee on the Regulation of Settlement in Judea and Samaria. Many of these decisions have been approved by Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and are just waiting to be implemented.
The name of the game is prevention. To avoid another year of court-mandated evictions, like the High Court of Justice's ruling giving the Netiv Haavot outpost in the Etzion settlement bloc 18 months to vacate, we must act quickly and effectively. The lifespan of the current government and the Trump administration with which it coordinates (for better or worse) is uncertain. Havat Gilad and the Shevach family share a story with thousands of other families in Judea and Samaria.
Over the years, successive Israeli governments were fully involved in encouraging the establishment of settlements. The Housing Ministry invested hundreds of millions of shekels in building them. The Religious Services Ministry built synagogues and mikvehs (ritual baths). The Settlement Division paved roads and highways. Almost every relevant government authority was involved.
The Israeli government has a moral obligation to the thousands of settler families, and it does not have to wait for a terrorist attack to do right by them. The Israeli government, at least according to its stated policy, has a Zionist interest in strengthening and supporting the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria, and the "unauthorized" outposts are an integral part of this enterprise.
Meanwhile, a critical mass of settlers must also be maintained in the recognized settlement blocs. It needs to be big enough to prevent the mere thought of evacuation in the future. Ironically, the protracted settlement construction freeze has hurt the recognized blocs more than the far-flung satellites deep in the territory. Absurdly, the freeze is still in place in the blocs that everyone agrees will likely not be evacuated even under a future agreement.
The reason for this absurd reality is Israel's commitment to the Americans. It is time, and it needs to be said, to break free of this commitment. We need to discuss it first among ourselves, and then bring it up with the Americans.
