HomeI got the following in my inbox. I know the guy, lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Please read:
> 12th Shevat - Shabbos Parshas BeShalach
>
> AMONA
>
> I have been back from Israel for just two days, and many people have
spoken
> to me and asked me questions about Amona. I find it quite disturbing how
> many people have taken sides with the media, and justified police
actions
> against the protesters. However, what is more disturbing is how little
> people know about what really happened last week.
>
> I am in the middle of writing a full account of the events in Amona, but
it
> won't be ready for a while. In the meantime, I feel a sense of urgency
in
> shedding some light on the event.
>
> First let me tell you about Amona.
> Amona is a small village with about 40 residents and is located 30
minutes
> north of Jerusalem, in the Binyamin area. It is beautiful, surrounded by
> olive trees and rolling hills. In fact, the hill where HaShem showed
Avraham
> Avinu all the land he was destined to inherit, is a few kilometres from
> Amona. Amona has a Shul, a Mikveh, a goat farm, two water towers, a
> kindergarten and a children's playground. The people of Amona live in
small
> caravans and were getting ready to move into their newly built houses,
which
> now lie in ruins.
>
> It is important to get the facts straight. I was there. I saw what
happened
> with my own eyes. The media completely twisted the true events of Amona.
>
>
> FACTS:
>
> - The whole confrontation could have been avoided - if the police wanted
it
> to. The police did not have to let all the protesters in to Amona (like
in
> Gush Katif), nor did they have to say which day they were going to
destroy
> the homes. People would not have camped out in Amona for more than a few
> days, the police could have come two weeks later, and destroyed Amona in
the
> middle of the night. There would have been a small protest that could
have
> been controlled in a peaceful way.
>
> - The majority of people who came to Amona were under the age of
eighteen
> and were not looking for a fight. The days leading up to the clash, were
> full of singing, dancing, learning Torah, simply hanging out and having
a
> good time. It was more like a festival than a protest.
>
> - The majority of protesters were sitting inside the houses when the
police
> arrived, They were unarmed and had no intention of using violence. They
were
> beaten for no reason, they pleaded for police to stop, but they refused.
>
> - Contrary to media reports, the violence was not started by the settler
> youth. The first act of violence was by baton-swinging policeman mounted
on
> horses, charging a crowd of people who were sitting on the ground and
> singing songs. Then, about 2000 police marched through a crowd, batons
> extended, smashing anyone and everyone in their way. They were followed
by
> another 4000 police, all carrying wooden clubs or metal batons.
>
> - The Torah demands a person to protect fellow Jews if they are in
danger or
> being abused - even if the abuse is being carried out by a Jew. What
would
> you do, if you saw your 15 year old daughter or sister, being beaten on
the
> head with a metal baton? Just stand there? Give the policeman a hug and
> sympathise with him? Or, do anything in your power to stop him?
>
> - No rocks were brought on the rooftops to throw at police. There were
> cinder blocks that were brought on to the roofs to hold down the
barbwire
> around the perimeter of the roof. Only after seeing the police
aggression
> against young kids, did some people (including myself) break the cinder
> blocks into small pieces and throw them at helmeted policeman, in order
to
> stop them beating people. In one case we actually caused the police to
> retreat and rethink their strategy.
>
> - No one anticipated the kind of violence that police used. By the end
of
> the day, more than 200 protesters were seriously injured, the most
severe
> being 15 year old boy who was beaten on his head, resulting in a coma
from a
> fractured skull.
>
> - The police did not intend on arresting anyone. They only brought two
cars
> to transport prisoners. Out of 3000 protesters only 40 were arrested.
Their
> intention was to 'teach us a lesson'.
>
>
> This protest was not about 9 houses, or Amona, or the entire West Bank
for
> that matter. We knew, from the day we got there, that we would never be
able
> to prevent the destruction of the houses. The government would bring in
> 100,000 police if it needed to. That is not why I or anyone else came to
> Amona.
> We came to defend the Land of Israel. We came to make a Kidush HaShem
(which
> I believe we did make). We came to protest against a secular Government
who
> does not care about the Biblical (Torah) rights of Jewish people to live
in
> the ENTIRE LAND OF ISRAEL.
> We came to protest Gush Katif, where people hugged and cried with
soldiers,
> earning the temporary sympathy of Israeli society. These people are now
left
> without schools for their children, they are homeless, jobless, and have
> received zero compensation from the government.
> We came to tell ourselves and the world that we will not remain silent
and
> do nothing, as our brothers and sisters lives are being ruined, as the
land
> of Israel is being destroyed and given away for political gain and as a
> victory for terror.
>
> In Amona I protested and cried many tears. I cried for the Land. I cried
for
> the wounded children. I cried for the policemen who have forgotten how
to
> cry. I cried as I watched a young girl defiantly climb to the top of a
huge
> bulldozer - only to be pulled down and beaten by three policemen
swinging
> clubs. I cried for the man who spent his entire life savings ($100,000)
on
> his home, only to see it turn to rubble in minutes. I cried after seeing
> policemen smile and laugh, despite being humiliated and being called
Nazis.
> I saw a boy being beaten by a policeman. I kicked him, as hard as I
could. I
> was beaten and dragged away.
>
> Something happened to me at that moment. As I was being held down by two
> vicious policemen, my faced pressed into the gravel, my entire being
became
> aware of something. This land is worth fighting for. It is real, and it
is
> where I belong.
>
> I will not forget, nor will I forgive.
>
> Good Shabbos,
>
> Moshe Feiglin
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Originally Posted by Leon
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