המתת השור

The settlers have won! '
Posted April 3, 2013 by Baudouin Loos bureau chief of France 2 Jerusalem, lives in Israel since 1968. Prolific author of essays and documentary quality, again with the output threshold, April 4, his latest book, "On behalf of the Temple" (Israel and the irresistible rise of Jewish messianism, 1967-2013) will also be the subject of a documentary on FR2. Meeting in Jerusalem.
Why this book?
You could say "the settlers won! ". Religious Zionism won. This is the message of my book that shows how during the period that begins after the Six Day War in 1967, the movement of settlers became a dominant force in Israeli society, with an eschatological theological discourse (predicting the end of world , Ed).
An ideology that had difficulty to impose far ...
The simple idea of ​​returning to the land of Israel was banished from the religious. When political Zionism was invented by Herzl in the late nineteenth century, the ultra-Orthodox were fiercely opposed the masters rabbis saw three prohibitions: Jews can not rebel against the nations of the world, they should not go mass Eretz Israel (Land of Israel) because it is God who decides to return, and finally it is not necessary that the nations of the world show too hard towards the Jewish people. For its part, the liberal Zionism Herzl way - we will not say secular - considering him, coexistence with minorities such as Arabs, included a vice president Arabic, etc.. With the revival of religious Zionism, taboos have fallen above.
Especially after the shock of 1967 ...
Yes, in 1967, during the war, Israel conquered the scene of the biblical story. Including East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. This is the awakening of nationalist religious Jews, who see it as an eschatological process and purpose of God. The most determined head immediately to Hebron (where, according to Jewish tradition, the tomb of the patriarchs, including Abraham). They come from the Messianic movement, which believes that the Messiah comes, he must prepare his coming. These are not the utra-orthodox (men in black, the Haredim or "God-fearing", who believe that God decides when he chooses to send the Messiah, believers do not have to be in mix, Ed). That said, we are now beginning to see the bridges between these two movements: the ultra-Orthodox and religious Zionist become Zionists who become ultra-Orthodox. This is supported by the creation in the occupied territories of settlements for the ultra-Orthodox, as Beitar Illit, near Bethlehem.
Precisely speaking settlers in 2013. Do you think they could return to Israel if a peace agreement with the Palestinians?
Not to mention the 200,000 Israeli settlers in urban settlements in East Jerusalem (the Arab part of the holy city), there are approximately 350,000 occupied West Bank. With a growth rate of 5% per year, so they will be 400,000 in three years. We do not evacuate 300 or 400,000 settlers. Not even 50,000. It took 13,000 troops and police in 2005 to evacuate 8,000 settlers from Gaza and the approach then was consensus in Israel. For the settlers, the status quo is perfect. Among them, the laity would not refuse to see with the Palestinians autonomy in the economic, cultural ...
How the Israeli state considers he?
Authorities at all levels are infiltrated by the settlers, who produced "miracles" as when new West Bank hills belonging to Palestinians are occupied (illegally even to Israeli law) to install outposts settlers destined to become new settlements and that electricity and water succeed. And it takes five to ten years the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of these faits accomplis.
Among them there is also the emergence of a very radical youth, who never lived in Israel, who willingly takes the Palestinians ...
There is a new generation of children of settlers, called the "hilltop youth," since Ariel Sharon, after the summit at Wye Plantation in 1998 had the slogan "Grab a maximum of hills! ". These youth are hundreds, maybe more. 'Tough'. The "Salafi Jews"! For them, the end justifies the means because they believe with a mission theology. In this context, there is no place for a Palestinian state. As also for religious extremists Muslims, there is no place for a Jewish state in Palestine.
Religious settlers are revolutionaries, and they have a purpose.
The non-religious parties are they complicit?
In any case, the responsibility of the leaders of the Israeli right is not trivial. The Begin, Shamir, Sharon or Netanyahu have always referred to "the historic right of Jews to Eretz Israel" (Land of Israel in the Biblical sense). For decades, the West Bank is not otherwise known in Israel by its biblical names "Judea and Samaria". Anyway, whether or not directly represented in the government, the settlers will continue to grow in number.
Interview by Baudouin Loos