The Settlements, NOW

Erica Chernofsky in her article The great drift (Jerusalem Post Magazine Jan 25) presents us with an interesting and varied exploration of the issue of the Jewish settlement enterprise in the Land of Israel, past and present. The current fundamental question is not whether the settlers are brave and idealistic, or if they are the true continuation of the past enterprise; or whether God did or did not “give” us this land, but whether the settlement project is wise or foolish under the contemporary challenges and dangers we face. It is also important to question whether it contributes to or detracts from the values, goals, aims and needs of Zionism and the Jewish people in the 21^st century.

I believe I am not the only one here concerned and alarmed by the appearance of a renewed apatite by our neighbors for a violent military confrontation with us; post the Hizbollah War results; the American setbacks in Iraq; plus the developing Iranian power play. It is in the context of these harsh and threatening realities that I remain skeptical as to the true potential consequences that the civilian settlements in Judea and Samaria will have for our future security, defense and survival.

In the event of a future military confrontation the many settlement communities would become in effect dispersed individual points of population requiring separate individual defense units. These forces would need to be drawn from our already limited resources. In effect we would be scattering our few precious defense assets over a great area thereby loose the advantage of bringing the required powerful and focused forces we do have to bear on our enemies. This strategy of focused force is likely a basic requirement for victory in any future confrontation with our many surrounding enemies.

This leads me to the inescapable conclusion that the continued presence of Israeli civilians and their defense requirements in the areas East of the 1949 borders are a foolish expression of distorted priorities and false historical considerations.

Yoram Getzler

Moshav Aminadav

64 34 830

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467812017&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter