In an attack reminiscent of the massacre of the Fogel family in Itamar in 2011, a 'Palestinian' terrorist knocked on the door of a Jewish family in the village of Halamish (Neve Tsuf) that was holding a Shalom Zachar (celebration of the birth of a boy) on Friday night, walked in, and started stabbing the residents. The terrorist murdered the grandfather - 70-year old Yosef Salomon, his daughter 46-year old Chaya Salomon, and his son, 36-year old Elad Salomon HY"D (May God Avenge their blood). The grandmother, 68-year old Tova Salomon, was seriously wounded. If not for quick thinking by daughter-in-law Michal Salomon, who rushed her five children into a room, locked the door and called the police, the massacre might have been much worse. An off-duty soldier neighbor shot the terrorist through a nearby window, wounding him. The entire attack, from the time the terrorist jumped the fence of the village until he was neutralized, took less than 15 minutes.
In Gaza, the terror attack triggered celebrations. This morning, Israel's Hebrew-English 'Palestinian' daily, Haaretz, publishes a column by Gideon Levy that dances on the victims' blood before they can even be buried. I won't sicken you by posting quotes from it.
The other group that's dancing on the victims' blood is the international media. Those include al-AP and al-Guardian.
And for those of you who are still foolish enough to believe that Muslims are 'just like us,' here's the terrorist's mother. Let's go to the videotape.
Watch:The mother of the terrorist who butchered 3 members of an Israeli family last night as they were having dinner says she's proud of him pic.twitter.com/85ZBDFZ8xI
11-year old terror victim: Why are they releasing murderers?
11-year old Roi Fogel, whose parents and three siblings were murdered by 'Palestinian' terrorists in March 2011, is asking why his government is releasing murderers.
The 11-year-old boy, who survived the brutal terror attack, asked
this question over this past Sabbath, as he was celebrating his
birthday.
Elihai Ben-Yishai, Roi’s uncle and the brother of Ruth Fogel hy”d,
recalled his nephew’s remarks in a conversation on Sunday with Jerusalem
Mayor Nir Barkat. The conversation took place as Barkat visited the bereaved families protesting outside the Prime Minister's residence.
"My nephew asked why the State of Israel releases terrorists back to
Judea and Samaria, when half of them resume terrorist activities? Why do
they do it? The 11-year-old child understands what this government does
not understand. My nephew really does not understand the government's
decision,” Ben-Yishai told Barkat.
"It's a shame. The wheel is spinning and no one is stopping it,” he
added. “A terrorist who killed a family or a baby will do it again and
the State conveys the message that there is no problem with committing
murders. I have no words.”
"They kill civilians and are later released with a master's degree
into Jerusalem. They can reach anywhere in the city. I am concerned and I
am full of shame," said Ben Yishai with rage.
Roi, eldest son of Udi and Ruth Fogel, was at home during the 2011
massacre in Itamar. As the terrorists brutally murdered his parents and
siblings, Roi lay under a blanket in the living room.
The terrorists did
not notice that there was someone under the blanket, and his life was
spared.
There are a lot of smart 11-year olds who are much wiser than the Israeli government. I have one in my house too....
Tamar Fogel talks about her parents HY"D (May God Avenge their blood)
I am sure that many of you remember Tamar Fogel, whose parents and three siblings HY"D (May God Avenge their blood) were murdered in Itamar two and a half years ago. Tamar is now 14. This article by Tamar was published in Yedioth about two weeks ago (in Hebrew).
My mom and I were really good friends. I am the oldest child, and until Hadas was born I was also the only daughter.
All of my friends had problems with their parents, and I was the only
one who was different. Eema and I would go walking every evening and I
would tell Eema things about myself. One evening we went out on a walk;
it was winter and very cold. I had two friends and we were sort of a
trio together, but at one point we had started to fight. Eema told me,
“Friendships never work as trios.” It started to rain and we ran
together. We got home soaking wet and laughing.
My parents were a special couple. There was a strong love between
them that a child could simply see and feel. My mother was fire and my
father was water, and they both had a presence that influenced you even
without many words…
They real loved when we would get wild all together, and that’s how
our Friday night tradition got started. Every Shabbat, already in the
middle of the meal, the little kids would go to the room, and they would
take blankets and pillows out to the living room and start to get
wild, until everyone would fall asleep in the living room.
On Friday night there was a terror attack. My brothers were sleeping
in the living room when two terrorists came into our home. When I came
home already nothing was as it had been before. My Abba and Eema were
murdered with three of my younger siblings, and since then I have a
hundredth of a second of an image that I will never be able to forget.
Yahrtzeit (anniversary of death) of Aaron the High Priest
Today, the first day of the Jewish month of Av, is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the death) of the High Priest Aaron.
I can remember in the mid-to-late '90's that there were organized trips from Israel to the tomb (pictured), which is located in southern Jordan. The trips left in the wee hours of the morning, and returned in the wee hours of the following morning. One of my sons claims to have seen notices of such a trip this year. I have not seen them in years.
In the meantime, some people commemorate the occasion by visiting the tombs of his sons.
Hundreds marked the anniversary of the passing of Aaron the High
Priest by praying, Sunday evening, at the tombs of his sons, Elazar and
Itamar, in the Samarian (Shomron) Palestinian Authority-assigned village
of Awarta.
While most of the worshipers were from the
hareidi-religious community, religious Zionists and secular Jews were
also represented. The visit was organized by the Samaria Regional
Council and the Shechem Echad organization, in coordination with the
Israel Defense Forces and other security services.
If the name Awarta sounds familiar, it should. It is the home of the murderers of the Fogel family from Itamar. The graves of Elazar and Itamar were desecrated a year and a half ago with slogans praising the murderers. No one thought to call it terrorism.
I am sure that many of you have already heard that the BBC has admitted that is coverage of the Arab spring was 'over-excited.' But what you're less likely to have heard, because it has not been as widely publicized, is that the BBC apologized on Monday for its coverage of the Fogel family massacre in Itamar in March 2011 (Hat Tip: CAMERA).
The BBC “got it wrong” by not giving prominence to the massacre of the Fogel family by Palestinians in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, the outgoing director-general has admitted.
Mark Thompson was quizzed by Conservative MP Louise Mensch, who made various complaints to the BBC about the coverage, at a Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee hearing on Tuesday. Mrs Mensch said the BBC’s decision not to include the story as part of its rolling news coverage generated “the most reaction I have ever had in all my time in politics.”
She said: “The BBC ran the story on Radio 4 and a lead item on the website but they never subsequently touched it in broadcast or on the 24-hour rolling news programme on BBC News 24. I only found out, after the event, from an American blog, called “Dead Jews is no news” and the more I went into it, the more shocked I was.
“I was overwhelmed by response from the Jewish community both here and abroad. There was a feeling the BBC just didn’t care and that, if a settler had entered the home of a Palestinian family, slit the throat of their children, that the BBC would have covered that.”
Mrs Mensch had subsequently received an apology from BBC News’s Helen Boaden but wanted Mr Thompson’s reassurance about the BBC’s “even-handedness” on the Middle East conflict.
Can you imagine what's in the unreleased Balen report?
By the way, let's hear it for Louise Mensch, who is simply awesome!
On Saturday, in the Syrian town of Houla, 108 people were murdered by forces belonging to President Assad (although he is trying to blame al-Qaeda), including 32 children.
In Houla, the videos show that some of the civilian victims—with pieces of their bodies missing—were probably nonspecific, by which I mean that, as in all wars, they were simply killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the men who pressed the “fire” buttons on the artillery piece, or on the tank that fired the shells that ripped them apart, meant them no specific harm, per se, as individuals. Others, though, seem to show the telltale traces of up-close murders—the result of guns pressed against people’s heads and fired, and of knives drawn deeply across throats.
These latter victims, who include some of Houla’s dead children, are the most troubling of the deaths that are occurring in Syria today. They raise the question of whether there is any kind of peace plan, at this point, that is viable, at least in the minds of the actors in the conflict. That is why Houla is such a watershed event (and why the regime is claiming it is a set-up, to make it look bad).
In this kind of a war, which involves one community—the minority Alawites, who rule the country, and fear extinction at the hands of the much more sizeable Sunni community (including residents of Houla)—the killers just keep on doing their work, whatever their politicians say.
Ban Ki-moon has said that there is no U.N. “Plan B” in Syria. Plan A, to sum it up roughly, relies upon goodwill and a change of heart on the part of the Assad regime and the rebels fighting it. The thing is: What does one do when men become capable of cutting the throat of a small child?
Indeed, what does one do when men become capable of slashing the throat of a small child? For example, what does one do when men become capable of slashing the throat of a three-month old baby? Goodwill and change don't seem likely, do they?
I'd like to introduce you to Colonel Nimrod Aloni, the retiring commander of the Samaria Brigade. You can compare him with the politician of your choice.
Outgoing Samaria Brigade Commander Colonel Nimrod Aloni said Thursday that he considers the massacre in Itamar as his own fault. "I failed in Itamar, and my failure led to the brutal murder of the Fogel family," he said.
Speaking at ceremony to welcome incoming commander Col. Yoav Yarom, Aloni said: "There are no words to describe the sadness and frustration I felt following the attack."
...
In response to the statements, Chaim Fogel, Udi Fogel's father, said the family has no claims against Aloni. "He's an excellent commander with a bright future," Fogel said. "A commander who takes responsibility is welcome as far as we're concerned. Sadly, the massacre happened on his watch, but not only do we have nothing against him, on the contrary, we support and respect him."
How many politicians take responsibility for their own actions as Colonel Aloni did? How many officers, leaders or even bosses at work take responsibility for their own actions? (And it's still not clear to me that there was anything Colonel Aloni could have done to prevent the Fogel family massacre, but he's taking responsibility because it happened on his watch).
I hope this officer has a bright future inside the IDF and beyond.
The Shin Bet said on Sunday that "the organization's recommendation mainly relies upon the need to strengthen the aspect of deterrence among potential terrorists.
"In this case, the general need for deterrence is strengthened by a concrete consideration that stems from the fact that several of the terrorists' family members offered them assistance after the terror attack – by hiding the weapons stolen during the attack and by covering up the act through the destruction of evidence."
The Shin Bet denied that there are legal officials who are opposed to the move and mentioned a number of verdicts from the last decade where it was determined that the demolition of houses was legal and that there was no room, from the High Court's perspective, to intervene in these decisions.
"That was the case in the ruling over the destruction of the house of the terrorist responsible for the Merkaz Ha Rav yeshiva attack in 2005 and the destruction of the home of the terrorist who carried out the terrorist attack in Jerusalem in 2008," Shin Bet officials noted.
A meeting on the matter is set to take place over the next few weeks at the Attorney General's office with IDF and Defense Ministry representatives.
Maybe they ought to also seal the homes of the Machsom Watch traitors who felt it necessary to go comfort the murderers' families.
But yes, the terrorists' homes should be destroyed. Maybe then they won't consider them such heroes.
One of the nice things that came out at Wednesday's dedication of a new study hall in Itamar in memory of Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D (May God Avenge their blood) is the fact that 20 Jewish children have been named after the Fogel family martyrs over the course of the last year.
"People keep calling us to tell us of another baby boy or girl," says Tali Ben-Yishai, Ruthie's mother. The perpetual commemoration keeps growing stronger."
Of the 20 babies, five were born to the extended Ben-Yishai family, five were born to Itamar residents and at least 10 babies were born throughout the country – mostly to people who didn't even know the Fogels but decided they could not remain indifferent.
The first baby, Yair Silver from Itamar, was born three days before the massacre. Ruthie Fogel was the one who helped his mother Chana recuperate after giving birth. After the massacre Chana decided to name her son Yair – using the Hebrew initials from Yoav, Elad, Udi and Ruthie's names.
"There is no consolation for what we lost, but each of these new babies show that our children have left a mark, meaning, and strength," said Tali Ben-Yishai.
May the surviving Fogel and Ben Yishai family members know only joyous occasions, and may they be privileged to greet the Messiah together with all of the Jewish people, speedily and in our time.
In memory of Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D
Wednesday is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the death) of Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D (May God Avenge their blood). A few hours ago, I received an invitation by email to the dedication of the Beit Medrash (study hall) in memory of the Fogel's, which is taking place in Itamar on Wednesday, and I am going to post it below.
But first, I'd like to show you a video that was made in memory of the Fogel's by Dalia L, who describes herself as a high school student in Melbourne, Australia (which means she's probably only a couple of years older than Tamar Fogel, the oldest of the three surviving Fogel children), and who co-moderates a blog here.
Get some tissues out - I was crying by the end.
Let's go to the videotape.
And here's the invitation to the dedication Wednesday (Hat Tip: David H).
A year ago this coming week, Udi, Ruti, Yoav, Elad and Hadas Fogel HY"D (May God Avenge their blood) were murdered in cold blood in their own home.
For the most part, the West has ignored the Fogel murders. The 'human rights' groups have ignored the murders entirely. Jewish lives don't count. Giulio Meotti explains.
Yet there is something even more horrible than Awad’s sadistic hatred: Western’s complacency. In recent years we have seen plenty of saccharine movies about Jewish children killed in the death camps in their pajamas, but the same public opinion reacted with indifference to the images of the Fogel babies dismembered by terrorists.
...
The Fogels, right down to the decapitated baby, were less human than the Arab victims and therefore less deserving of Western outrage on their behalf. The “settler kids” are invisible, as the northern Israel towns were during the 1970s, when Yasser Arafat’s terrorists murdered Israeli babies in Ma’alot, Kiryat Shmona, Misgav Am and Avivim.
...
Itamar’s massacre has been excused, as the “anger” of the perpetrators is fully justified in international eyes. PA President Mahmoud Abbas said many times that “I will never allow a single Israeli to live among us on Palestinian land.” Such state would be the first to officially prohibit Jews or any other faith since Nazi Germany, which sought a Jew-free country.
That an Arab movement should call the presence of Jews an obstacle to peace is one thing. It is quite another for an enlightened and so-called liberal world to do so. But this is the precise reason why Itamar didn’t cause any global scandal. Because in a world less surreal than the one we live in, the act of bursting into a Jewish home and slitting the throats of babies would be the cause of moral and religious outrage.
Multiply this act by thousands and one might think it would prompt an international uproar. Yet in the world we live in, Itamar was just a footnote. The Vatican made no reference to the Itamar massacre; nor did UNICEF raise its voice against the slaughter of innocent Jewish children.
The media then fabricated the justification: Because Itamar’s babies were “settlers,” they brought the crime upon themselves. Indeed, after any killing spree of “settlers,” we all read the same comment in the mainstream media: If the Jews hadn’t been there, they wouldn’t have been killed. If Israel took this approach seriously, it would dismantle the entire Israeli state.
The Head of the Itamar Yeshiva, Rav Avichai Ronsky, said at the planting ceremony: "The construction of the yeshiva opposite the village from which the murderers came – that is our victory. Construction in Judea and Samaria is our response to all those who try to hurt us."
Itamar’s killers remind us that genocidal anti-Semitism wasn’t buried in the ashes of Auschwitz.
Awad’s smile and his aunt’s praise convey unleashed hatred and the desire to expel, to destroy, to eliminate the Jews.
It's the same smile on the face of Klaus Barbie, the Gestapo chief in southeastern France from 1942 to 1944, who laughed all the time as his Jewish victims described the torture Nazis put them through, testifying at court in 1997.
It's the same hatred that filled Alois Brunner, Adolf Eichmann’s “best man” during the "final solution". Brunner was interviewed in the Austrian news magazine Bunte. He said he did not suffer from a bad conscience for, in his own words, “getting rid of that garbage” (the Jews). His one regret was that he hadn’t murdered more Jews.
In 1987, in a telephone interview, Brunner told the Chicago Sun Times: “The Jews deserved to die. I have no regrets. If I had the chance I would do it again…”.
Like Alois Brunner’s Aryanism, Itamar’s perpetrators see themselves as messengers of Allah sent to wipe out Jewish born and unborn babies. They are bent on total confrontation, on pursuing an either-or politics of victory or death.
The "aktion" in Itamar action has been publicly proclaimed in the name of Allah, his Prophet and the Koran. No rational argument can be used against an ideology maniacally dedicated to Jewish destruction, and that says so in every language, at every opportunity.
The authoritarian regime that rules the Arabs in the PA wants to eradicate Jewish life everywhere, in Itamar as well as in Zichron Yaakov.
Official 'Palestinian Authority' television praises murderer of Fogel family
The mother and aunt of Hakim Awad, one of the two murderers of Udi and Ruti Fogel and three of their children in Itamar HY"D (May God Avenge their blood), appeared on official 'Palestinian Authority' television on January 19 and 21 to praise this miserable excuse for a human being.
Let's go to the videotape.
But give them a state and they will stop lionizing mass murderers (and Israeli morons like Raya Yaron, pictured above, will stop sympathizing with them). Yeah, sure....
Send it to the New York Times and tell them to write about it.
Young cousins Hakim and Amjad Awad have just started serving five consecutive life sentences apiece for the cold blooded murder of Udi and Ruti Fogel and three of their children HY"D (May God Avenge their blood) in the Samarian village of Itamar this past March. They are not part of the terrorists for Gilad trade, but the way these things go, they could be part of the next deal, God forbid. Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) would like to make sure that doesn't happen. He wants the Awad cousins to be put to death now.
The Samaria Military Court convicted 18-year-old Hakim Awad for the murder of the five members of the Fogel family – three children aged between 3 months and 11 years, and their parents, Ehud and Ruth.
Ajmad Awad, the other man who has been charged with the killings in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, pleaded guilty at the beginning of October to five counts of murder.
“I don’t regret what I did, and would do it again,” Awad told reporters in May.
“I’m proud of what I did and I’ll accept any punishment I get, even death, because I did it all for Palestine.”
Israel has only carried out the death penalty in the case of one prisoner, Adolf Eichman.
The best way to make sure there are no more kidnappings is to kill the terrorists, not the hostages.
Outrageous: Family members of Fogel killers allowed to pick olives in Itamar
Family members of Hakim and Amjad Awad from the village of Awarta were allowed to pick olives on Sunday within the boundaries of the Jewish village of Itamar. Six months ago, Hakim and Amjad Awad stole into Itamar on a Friday night and murdered Udi and Ruti Fogel and three of their children HY"D (May God Avenge their blood). The Awad cousins gathered important intelligence information about Itamar during last year's olive harvest. On Sunday, 12-year old Tamar Fogel, the eldest daughter of Udi and Ruti and one of three surviving Fogel children, could only look on helplessly as the Awad clan taunted Itamar residents.
Settlers in Itamar were outraged Sunday morning after Palestinians from Awarta arrived in Itamar for their annual olive harvest in the settlement. According to the settlers, among the Palestinians who arrived in Itamar were the family members of Amjad and Hakim Awad who brutally stabbed and murdered five members of the Fogel family six months ago.
The settlers claimed that the Palestinians shouted "We'll Fogel you" and drew their fingers across their necks indicating slaughter.
Dozens of women and children from Itamar protested against the move, including Tamar Fogel who lost her parents and three siblings in the heinous terror attack. Several settlers threw rocks at Palestinians, one was lightly wounded. Security forces separated the two sides.
According to Itamar settlers, during last year's harvest, Hakim Awad entered the settlement and gathered information ahead of the massacre. "This is an abominable case of insensitivity," they said, "In previous years yeshiva students harvested the olives for the Palestinians and transferred them to Awarta's residents free of charge.
"After intervention from left-wing activists we were forced to allow the village residents to carry out their own harvest, but it is clear that with a little bit of thought and creativity we could have found a solution." The settlers claim that this is an "absurd situation where the family of the killer harvests olives meters away from where he butchered an entire family."
...
The Palestinians who arrived on the settlement accompanied by Police Special Forces and Border Guard officers claimed that they weren't close relatives of the murderers. "There are famers from the Awad family among the harvesters," admitted Jamal Kavarik, an Awarta resident, "but they weren't closely related to the murderers. The Awad clan in Awarta is numerous."
He attested to the fact that the IDF arrived at the scene in the early hours of the morning to secure the harvest and prevent altercations between the Palestinians and the settlers. "When we arrived on the field 15 settlers came down from Itamar and started throwing rocks at the farmers. I called the Coordination and Liaison Administration and told them and the IDF arrived at the scene."
Itamar residents had warned last year against allowing 'Palestinians' from Awarta to enter their town.
Will there - God forbid - be another terror attack?
In an email, David HaIvri, director of the Shomron Liaison Office, adds.
A flurry of emotions in Itamar:
Six months after the horrifying massacre committed by Amjad and Hackim Awed from the village Awarata, who brutally murdered five members of the Fogel family in Itamar, members of the murderer's family – the Awed clan- approached Itamar this morning (Sunday) for the seasonal olive harvest.
During last year's olive harvest, the murderer Hackim Awed had entered Itamar and collected information to prepare for his deadly attack, as a result was later able to enter Itamar for the second time, together with his brother Amjad, according to intel he acquired during the harvest.
Gershon Mesika, Head of the Shomron Regional Council contacted the commanding ranks of the IDF and Knesset Members in order to stop the murderess clan's harvest: "It is an outrage that cries out to Heaven. A year ago, exactly, I warned the army commands and the Civil Administration, that terrorists can use the olive harvest as an opportunity to collect intelligence before attacking. In spite of all my warnings, hundreds of Arabs from the village Awaratha were allowed into Itamar to harvest the olives. Among them was the murderer Hackim Awed, who then collected information before the massacre. I would expect that this year there would be some logical consideration.
Chairman of the Shomron Residence Committee, Benny Katzover responded severely to the actions of the Civil Administration: "There is no limit to the Civil Administration's lack of responsibility and of sensitivity. We thought that even the callous unilateral would have a limit. The Civil Admin' has surrendered, yet again, to the radical left wing and has endangered the life of Jews.
Brigadier-General (reserve) Rabbi Avichai Rozenki, head of Itamar Yeshiva, who was the Chief Military Rabbi has responded in astonishment: "only six months after the murder, while our blood is still boiling and the residents are still caring for their bleeding wounds, allowing anyone from the Awerata vilage, where the murderers of the Fogel family and the Shvo Family came from – is outrages and negligent!"
At this time the women of Itamar are protesting in the Itamar harvest areas. – Among the protesters is Tamar Fogel, orphan of the murdered family.
Four members of the Shvo (usually spelled Shabo) family - Rachel Shabo and three of her sons (Avishai – 5, Zvika – 13 and Neria – 16) - were murdered along with a neighbor in a 2002 terror attack by another member of the Awad clan.
Greetings from an unnamed airport in an unnamed European country where I will be spending an unidentified number of hours :-) Gotta find a place to plug the laptop in....
The Beguiling Avigayil (Daughter #1 Child #1) sent this over this morning.
bs'd
Dear friends and fellow Jews,
As the UN vote on Palestinian statehood approaches, Israeli security forces are gearing up for more Arab violence. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Judea and Samaria, where IDF intelligence has already determined that large scale provocations on the roads, mass marches on settlements and the attempted destruction of Jewish infrastructure and agriculture will be attempted.
Here in Itamar, as a new school year begins, we see the mood of the local Arabs changing, and we're bracing ourselves for all contingencies. At the same time, for the sake of our children, we're obliged to continue as if nothing extraordinary were in the offing.
Out on the hilltops of Itamar, where there are no security fences, and parents acknowledge that faith in the Almighty is their only true defense against enemy aggression, we are asking for your support, for the sake of our children. Please take a minute to review the following website that contains a three paragraph blog entry succinctly explaining our dilemma.
http://www.alumoteinu.blogspot.com/
And kindly forward this email to five like-minded friends or family members.
With G-d's help, may we all succeed.
Aryeh Katz
Well, hopefully I just sent this to at least five people. Heh.
Rivlin opens the school year 5772 in Itamar: "All of Israel is ours."
Knesset speaker Ruby Rivlin was in Itamar on Wednesday to open the school year. I received this press release by email from David HaIvri of the Shomron Liaison office.
Rivlin opens the school year 5772 in Itamar: "All of Israel is ours."
Council head Gershon Mesika, who hosted his visit, expressed hope that the government would make it possible to build for children of the town and Samaria, proper structures such as those that exist for every child in Israel.
The Knesset Chairman revealed during his visit that Arik Sharon had considered linking he mountain settlements with the Jordan Valley, "with a view towards strategic depth." The Chairman, Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin, this morning (Wednesday) opened the new school year at the Samaria Regional Council, which got underway in the schools of Itamar in Samaria, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, a day before September 1.
Rivlin, accompanied by Mesika, met with students in Grade 1 and visited the home of the Fogel family and the location of the Hesder Yeshiva study hall, headed by Brig. Gen. (res.) Rabbi Avichai Ronsky, where Rabbi Udi Fogel z"l had taught. The study hall is currently being built in their memory. [Rabbi Ronsky is a former chief rabbi of the IDF. CiJ]
"I chose to open the school year here, out of my identification with and salutation of the people here, who, after suffering such a terrible blow, proved with their courage that no one will beat them and will never withstand the test these people were put to", said Rivlin. "One cannot help but marvel at the resilience of the settlers here. They represent a paragon of strength of Jews returning to their land. Settlement in Israel, Zionism, is settlement policy. Everywhere there are Jews living, there will be studies. I came here to express my hope that as the old year and its curses passes, the new year and its blessings will begin."
From a political perspective, Rivlin noted: "I arrived from Jerusalem, on a road on which both Israelis and Palestinians travel. Peace will be achieved here only when everyone will really want to live together; Itamar is not an obstacle to peace, and it will be achieved if the Palestinians truly desire peace. I visited with Ariel Sharon here at one time, and he brought up the idea to link Itamar and the other settlements in the area with the Jordan Valley settlements, with a view towards strategic depth and territorial continuity. I believe with perfect faith - and I have never changed my views - that all the Land of Israel is ours."
During his visit to the Talmud Torah elementary school in the settlement, he told students in Grade 1: "You are quick to build up the land of our forefathers who built Jerusalem. There is nothing standing in the way of whoever wants to build up the land. The way you sound, it seems like you are already able to enter Grade 2", he complimented the children, and blessed them by saying: "May you be people who can stand their ground and explain their views", and he wished them complete success during the school year.
Council head Gershon Mesika, who hosted the visit, thanked the Knesset chairman for coming to identify with Itamar, and expressed his hope "that the government will manage to give these wonderful children classrooms fit to study in, just like any children anywhere in Israel have. We expect the Israeli government to cease preventing construction of classrooms and schools in Judea and Samaria and to enable each boy and girl to study under the same conditions as any other child in the country."
Mesika, who introduced the Knesset chairman to the Grade 1 students as "the chairman of the Knesset - Uncle Ruby", thanked Rivlin for being a "true friend of the settlement enterprise", and said that "he has many merits in the settlement movement."
Rivlin also visited the Fogel family home, where the attack took place, and received explanations of what happened there. "This is one of the worst criminal acts in the history of the dispute between peoples, the heinous murder of an infant is an atrocity that cannot be grasped by any human being", he said.
The Knesset chairman and the Council chairman crowned their festive visit with a tour and cheese, olive and organic yoghurt tasting at the Giva'ot Olam farm in Itamar.
So why did Rivlin come alone? I'd bet there were a lot of MK's who would have loved to accompany him.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
