MK Eldad Calls for Civil Disobedience

Yoni Kempinski

The "Save the Land and Nation" rabbis' organization held an emergency session Tuesday night in Tel Aviv to discuss the upcoming visit of U.S. President George W. Bush in Israel.

MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) called for civil disobedience, following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's declaration that no construction be carried out in eastern Jerusalem, Judea or Samaria without his approval. He said citizens should build freely throughout the Land of Israel. “Two days ago," Eldad told the audience, "Olmert sent a letter to the Ministers of Defense, Housing and Agriculture determining that no one can build a house, expand a community or apartment, or even plan expansions [in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria] without his permission! Prime Minister Olmert is doing something that wasn’t even done in the time of the British Mandate! Olmert wants a family with eight kids living in an apartment to ask him permission to expand a balcony – and he will say no!"

"My precious Jews," Eldad said, "thanks to Olmert we now have an opportunity to practice civil disobedience – we WILL build – we will build everywhere – rooms, apartments, houses, synagogues, Yeshivas, and schools! We will build everywhere… He thinks he’ll apprehend several criminals? 250,000 Jews will declare: We are criminals – our crime is the building of the land of Israel! We’ll see what he’ll do with 250,000 c
"250 thousand Jews will declare – WE are criminals – our crime is the building of the land of Israel!"
riminals!”

“These days we hear that a ministerial committee is gathering to redefine the term 'blood on their hands'," Eldad continued, "And I say – there is blood on the hands of Olmert and members of his government, the blood of these precious soldiers are on the hands of those who released terrorists, gave them weapons and armored vehicles as goodwill gestures!”

Government that Cooperates with the Enemy
Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe, Head of “Save the Land and the Nation,” said: “This gathering is intended to make it clear to the public that we are facing a serious danger due to the government’s actions. We have a government that cooperates with the enemy, the Palestinian enemy that wants to destroy Israel. The government of Israel is supplying them with money and weapons, releasing murderers… We came to warn and discuss how we can prevent this, G-d forbid, holocaust that the government is bringing on us.”

Rabbi Wolpe added: “Bush is a non-Jew who is pressuring Israel to do what he would never do in America… In America he is fighting against terrorists!," Wolpe added. “Today we are recruiting volunteers who will distribute a personal commitment form for soldiers in which the commit to serve the nation on our land but never, G-d forbid, to take part in any action against their brothers – any action of expulsion from the land of Israel.”

“Today," he said, "we are recruiting volunteers who will distribute a personal commitment form for soldiers in which the commit to serve the nation on our land but never, G-d forbid, to take part in any action against their brothers – any action of expulsion from the land of Israel.”

Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi of Kiryat Arba, said: “I want to tell this holy crowd that we have returned to our land and we must strengthen our love of the land, act against the uprooting of any community, against the uprooting of any hilltop community… The nation of Israel is returning to its land according to G-d’s commandment, and based on its historical national right – there is no room for any other national entity in this land!”