*Representative Alan Clemmons
from South Carolina visits Netzer
*The struggle against the Arab agricultural intifada
South Carolina Representative Alan Clemmons visited Netzer this past Friday December 2nd, 2011, between Elazar and Alon Shvut. Women in Green leaders gave Rep. Clemmons and his group a tour , explaining about the daily struggle to safeguard statelands from Arab encroachment.
Representative Clemmons, a Christian friend of Israel, is behind the ‘South Carolina stands with Israel” resolution ; a bill that was passed in June calling on the state of Israel to retain control over Judea and Samaria and highlighting what it terms the “cordial and mutually beneficial relations” enjoyed by Israel and South Carolina since 1948. As stated in the bill: “Whereas, as the Grantor of said lands, G-d stated to the Jewish people in the Old Testament; in Leviticus, Chapter 20, Verse 24: ‘Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey’; and… Whereas, G-d has never rescinded his grant of said lands; The resolution resolved that “the members of this body support Israel in their natural and G-d-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon their own lands, recognizing that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others…”
In Netzer, Rep. Alan Clemmons was very moved to walk on the Path of the Patriarchs and very upset to hear about the Arabs’ sabotage and attacks against the Jews planting in the area. Clemmons praised the determined Jewish activists who continue to plant and safeguard the land, not caving in to the Arab agricultural terror.
Rep. Clemmons’ visit to Netzer was the culmination of many visits these past weeks in Netzer; starting with AFSI two weeks ago, then a delegation of tens of members of the One Israel Fund headed by Israel’s operation director Irwin Borvick and security director Marc Prowisor; and then, this past Wednesday, a group of Netanya activists headed by long-time activist Esther Eliezer. All groups toured Netzer and heard about the struggles for the land in the area, which are an example of the struggles for the land all over Judea and Samaria. As partners in the redemption of Erets Israel, the groups also planted tens of trees.
In the past few weeks, the battle for the land has increased and it seems that there is a well organized and well funded effort by the Arabs to take over any piece of land they can by plowing and planting.
This we also witnessed on Friday when we went to the Eitam hill to hear a shiur by Rabbi Riskin, as part of our efforts to increase a Jewish presence on the hill. We were shocked to see how, since it became public that the authorities have allowed Efrat to set up an agricultural farm on Eitam, the Arabs are trying to grab lands that belong to the community of Efrat.
Clearly , instead of murderous terrorist attacks that give them bad PR, the Arabs have decided to wage an “agricultural intifada” taking over the lands around the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria with the clear purpose to choke them. Salam Fayyad , already a few months ago clearly stated: “Today’s challenge against the occupation and the settlements is to invest in agriculture in area C. We will plant ten million trees”. (Wafa news 10-2-2011).
The residents of Judea and Samaria are busy with their daily routine and the justified and important struggle to save the “maahazim”(outposts) from being destroyed. But meanwhile the Arabs, funded by million of dollars from the European Union and other anti-Israeli organizations, are implementing Fayyads call, take to the hills with modern and new tractors and plow, daily , thousands of dunams of land that ,up until now, had never been worked on; lands meant to be used for the expansion of the future Jewish generations.
We must wake up and fast, before the Arabs succeed in taking over all lands around the Jewish communities and thus choke them. Every community must organize its residents and youth to go out to the state lands around the yishuv, watch and patrol them, expel any intruders, plant on them, erect lookouts, memorial sites and anything else to increase the Jewish presence on the hills.
Only this way will we be able to prevent the Arabs from taking over our lands; the amount of thefts by Arabs within the communities will decrease, the security will increase, and most importantly, the People of Israel will safeguard its national heritage and properties.
It has been proven over and over again that when we all mobilize for a purpose-we can succeed. The time has come to initiate more outings to the hills, it us Jews who must expand and increase the activities on the ground and thus, increase the awareness to the importance of the struggle to safeguard the land of Israel.
Anyone interested in joining is urged to contact us.
Shavua tov,
Yehudit Katsover 050-7161818 Nadia Matar 050-5500834
Women for Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green)
