Emuna: Returning To Gush Katif

A radio Interview with Rabbi Shlomo Aviner - Rosh Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim in the Old City of Jerusalem, former Rabbi of Beit El, and prolific writer on Torah philosophy and law, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Q. Should we now try to return to Gush Katif [a bloc of Jewish settlements in Gaza that was handed over to Hamas control in 2006 in the framework of Israel's unilateral Disengagement]?
A. Certainly! There's no question. This is our Land, no less than Tel Aviv or Hevron.

Q. And should we settle other parts of the Promised Land as well?
A. For sure. The Sages state that Eretz Yisrael is 500 by 500 parsaot in size, which means four million square kilometers. We're still missing a lot of land... Of course, we're not talking about tomorrow; we need historical patience.

Q. And what of Judea and Samaria? There is heavy international pressure for us to leave and make room for a Palestinian state.
A. Correct – so what? It's ours. This is our land. There is a song from the Return to Zion of 100 years ago that says, "We not moving." We, too, are not moving anywhere.

Q. If so, let's ask the opposite: There is no other nation in the world throughout history that was willing to concede part of its Land – so how is it that we have a national weakness in this area?
A. It's because of the Shoah (Holocaust). Aside from the murder of six million of us, it also broke our morale to a certain extent. We lost our self-confidence, and we're not bold enough to say: "This is ours." But thank G-d, we are getting stronger, we are increasing our self-confidence and security, and the population in Judea and Samaria is getting larger and larger.  

Q. It is so perfectly logical that a nation should retain its own land. Why don't the nations of the world understand this?
A. Anti-semitism against Jews is not a new thing, and now it's also against the State of Israel.

Q. So why is there anti-semitism?
A. Because we bring to the world ethics and justice, and the world is more interested in giving in to its lowly lusts.

Q. Let's get back to Gush Katif. What will we do with the million Arabs who are there?
A. An Arab who is not an idol worshiper and who is loyal to the State of Israel can remain, as a type of Biblical "resident foreigner" (ger toshav). The others have no business being here. There are more than 20 Arab countries, with a half-billion residents who can take them in.

Q. So you're saying we should expel them?
A. No, we don't have to; they'll leave on their own.

Q. Why should they?
A. Because they will want a country of their own. They're only staying here out of the hope that one day our state will be theirs. When they understand that this will never happen, they'll go.

Q. Should we try to persuade them?
A. It's not up to them, but only up to us. When it becomes clear to them that we are saying, "It's ours!" and we mean it, forever and ever – they'll make their own calculations, and they'll go.

Q. But right now that's not the situation.
A. That's clear, but we have a brain and a mouth, and little by little we can bring about a revolution in how we view our Land.

Q. But today, when we speak about returning to Gush Katif, no one even listens. So perhaps we should be silent? After all, in the words of the Sages, it is incumbent upon us to say that which can be understood, and so too it is a mitzvah not to say that which is not heard?
A. No, for three reasons: 1. We must say these things and release them into the world, so that when the time comes for people to listen, the words will be heard. 2. Up to that time, at least the situation will not deteriorate. 3. When we as a State take the wrong path and men of spirit nod in agreement, this is a catastrophe; but when the men of spirit speak the truth, then even though the reality is problematic, at least the air and the atmosphere remain pure.

Q. Wouldn't it be dangerous for the State if we try to return to Gush Katif?
A. First of all, real dedication (mesirut nefesh), even when it's dangerous, is very important. Secondly, we have seen the opposite in Gush Katif: When we were in Gush Katif, the military situation was basically quiet. Wherever the IDF is present, there is deterrence.

Q. So when will we return to Gush Katif?
A. That is a question that you have to ask a Prophet – though even Prophets didn't know everything; they knew only what G-d told them.