The Crime of Britain

I asked Gemini AI: Please describe actions taken by the British government since the start of the October 7th War and onward that should be interpreted as hostile to Israeli control of territories conquered in the Six Day War?

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, successive British governments (both Conservative and Labour) have enacted a series of diplomatic, legal, and economic measures that directly challenge Israeli sovereignty and administrative control over territories captured during the 1967 Six-Day War (the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights).

While maintaining support for Israel’s core defense inside its 1949 Armistice lines (1967 borders), London has taken increasingly hostile measures against Israeli activities in these disputed territories:

1. Bans on Trade and Imports from Settlements

• Import Ban on Settlement Goods: The UK introduced legislation banning the import of all goods manufactured or grown in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This effectively rejects Israeli commercial jurisdiction in those areas.

• Prohibition of Settlement Advertising: New regulations prohibit the advertising or promotion of land, residential real estate, or commercial properties located in West Bank settlements within the UK.

• Corporate Restrictions: The UK updated its Overseas Business Risk guidance to explicitly urge British companies against financial transactions, property purchases, tourism services, or investments that benefit Israeli presence beyond the 1967 lines.

2. Legal Reclassification of the Occupation

• Formal “Unlawful” Occupation Designation: Moving past traditional statements that settlements are merely “illegal under international law”, the British Foreign Office formally concluded that Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories is entirely “unlawful” in its entirety. This stance relies heavily on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) 2024 Advisory Opinion.

• ICJ & ICC Legal Stances: The UK dropped its initial procedural challenges to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for arrest warrants against Israeli leadership over actions in Gaza, signaling a shift toward international judicial scrutiny over Israeli military presence in the territories.

3. Target Sanctions on Israeli Entities and Citizens

• Sanctions on Outposts and Developers: The UK implemented sanctions targeting organizations and construction entities that facilitate, build, or finance infrastructure in the West Bank (including major housing developments such as E1).

• Sanctions on Individuals & Activists: The Foreign Office placed financial and travel sanctions on dozens of Israeli citizens, extremist activist groups, and hill-top youth figures accused of destabilizing or forcibly displacing Palestinian communities in Judea and Samaria.

4. Partial Arms Export Suspensions

• Restrictions Tied to Operations: In September 2024, the UK suspended approximately 30 military export licenses to Israel. The decision was predicated on official legal assessments determining a clear risk that exported military hardware could be utilized in violations of International Humanitarian Law in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.

5. Multi-National Declarations Against Territorial Control

• Rejection of E1 and Land Claims: The British Foreign Office, alongside European allies (such as France and Canada), issued formal declarations condemning Israeli state projects designed to bridge East Jerusalem to West Bank communities like Ma’ale Adumim.

• Asserting Palestinian Sovereignty: The UK consistently reaffirms that East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank constitute a single territorial unit that belongs under future Palestinian sovereignty, rejecting any unilateral Israeli territorial annexations, land declarations, or administrative takeovers.

When a Mega-Disaster Will Hit Britain, the Biblical prophet Yoel, tells us not to ascribe the tragedy to a thousand other reasons. Instead ascribe it to their support for the division and theft of Hashem’s holy land!

The Biblical book of Yoel (Joel) Chapter 4 as translated by https://www.sefaria.org.il/Joel.4.2?lang=bi states:
For lo! in those days And in that time, When I restore the fortunes Of Judah and Jerusalem,
I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will contend with them Over My very own people, Israel, Which they scattered among the nations. For they divided My land among themselves.

Dividing Biblical Israel is a crime for which the nations will be punished.

See also Why G-d let Bin-Laden Succeed! A Jewish Perspective on the Destruction of the World Trade Center in New York for greater details of why America’s support for the Oslo Terror Accords brought and brings disaster to America.

Question: Maybe, only when the Gentiles reach the Valley of Yehoshafat (Jehoshafat) will they be punished for the crime of dividing Hashem’s Holy Land?

Answer: It is my understanding that when the Gentiles reach that valley, it will be clear that the punishment they will be getting is on account of the words of the prophet Yoel. But even before that event, Bible believers should be aware that scattering Israel among the nations and dividing up the land of Israel among the nations strongly angers Hashem.

Rashi, whose commentary, unlike other commentaries is obligatory for Jews who fear heaven (see Mishna Brura on 285:2) states the following:

‘You have seen what I have done to Egypt’ – For many transgressions were they liable to receive a punishment from me, before they harmed you, yet I punished them only on your account.

Similarly, if one looks at the Biblical book of Amos, chapter 1, (together with the traditional commentaries) one will see, that although the idolatrous neighbors of the nation of Israel, namely, Dammeseq, Azza, Tzor(Tyre), Edom, and Ammon, were guilty of many sins, nevertheless, the harm that they did to Israel is what sealed their fate.

Article by: Shlomo Moshe Scheinman

Rambam

He prohibited us from marrying Deniers. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, “And you shall not marry them” (Deuteronomy 7:3). And he explained what marriage is – “do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons.”

Negative Commandment #52 of Rambam’s (Sefer Hamitzvot)

Wikipedia states about Haddad:

Since May  2021,  he has been engaged to Emily Schrader ,  an  Israeli-American journalist and social media  activist  , and a columnist for the Jerusalem Post .

Elsewhere on the Internet it says that Emily Schrader is Jewish.

Rabbi Karo

Maggid Meisharim of Rabbi Yosef Karo on appointing a foreign king over the nation of Israel in the commentary on Parshat Shoftim

And after this, it says: “When you come into the land… and say, ‘I will set a king over me [like all the nations that are around me]’” (Deuteronomy 17:14)—meaning, should it enter your mind to say “I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,” it shall not be so. For while you may indeed appoint a king over yourself, it must not be in the manner of the idolaters (accum). Idolaters appoint a king based on their own choice, whereas you [shall appoint] “him whom Hashem your L-rd chooses.” (Deuteronomy 17:15).

Furthermore, idolaters appoint a king even from another nation—as we find with the eight kings who reigned in the land of Edom, and Balak king of Moab—whereas you [must appoint one] specifically “from among your brothers,” and not from another people.

Furthermore, the kings of idolaters multiply wives, horses, silver, and gold, but your king shall not be so; rather, “he shall not multiply for himself…” (Deuteronomy 17:16). And do not say that if this is so, the King of Israel is inferior, for it is not so. Rather, the reason is “that his heart be not lifted up [above his brethren]… so that he may prolong his days over his kingdom.” (Deuteronomy 17:20).

The Talmud Kiddushin 76b as translated by Soncino broadens the prohibition mentioned above:

R. Adda b. Ahabah’s host was a proselyte, and he and R. Bibi were at variance, each claiming, I
must carry on the administration of the town. So they went before R. Joseph. Said he to them, We
learn it: One from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: 21 all appointments 22 which thou
makest must be only from the midst of thy brethren. Said R. Adda b. Ahabah to him: Even if his
mother is a Jewess? — If his mother is a Jewess, he replied, we apply to 23 him, ‘from the midst of
thy brethren’. Therefore let R. Bibi, who is a great man, give his attention to Heavenly matters, 24 and
do you, Sir, pay attention to affairs of the town. 25 Said Abaye: Therefore, when one provides a
scholar with residence in his boarding house, let him provide it for one like R. Adda b. Ahabah, who
is able 26 to argue 27 in his favour.
R. Zera took trouble over them [sc. proselytes]; Rabbah b. Abbuhah took trouble over them. In the
west [Palestine] not even an Inspector of Measures 28 was appointed of them. In Nehardea, not even
an irrigation superintendent was appointed of them.

Footnotes

(21) Deut. XVII, 55.
(22) Lit., ‘settings.’
(23) Lit., ‘read of.’
(24) Rashi: the charity collections and distribution, synagogue administration.
(25) E.g., taxation etc.
(26) Lit., ‘knows’.
(27) Lit., ‘turn (things) about.’
(28) Kori fr. kor, a measure.

Note: The leniencies that Rabbi Zera and Rabbah b. Abbuhah took for converts are not necessarily applicable for non-Jews. With Haddad there is an additional issue here, that he does not meet the halachic standards of a Ger Toshav. See Chazon Ish on Shviit #24. In addition, see Rambam, negative commandment 362 in Sefer Hamitzvot.

One should also note that even if you argue against the definition of Ger Toshav offered by the Chazon Ish and try to put Haddad into the Ger Toshav category, the Torah informs us in Deut. 28:43 that one of the curses for not following Hashem is that the Ger is above the Israelites. To quote Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan in the Living Torah (probably based on Onkelos): The alien among you will rise higher and higher over you, while you will descend lower and lower.

Regarding the issue of Edom and Moab appointing foreigners as kings, see Rashi’s commentary to Gen. 36:33 and Numbers 22:4. Even without Rashi, Genesis 36:34 is explicit that Chusham from the land of Temanites served as one of the Kings of Edom.

Excerpt from the post:

The Messiah Coming In a Generation That is Completely Liable [For Extinction] – The Vilna Gaon Explains on What Point Are They Liable

Undue Flattery to Agripas and Those Similar to Him

    It is stated in tractate Sotah at the end of chapter 7 that at the time when King Agripas was reading the verse, “You may not appoint a foreigner”, etc. [Deuteronomy 17:15] tears dripped from his eyes because he was not from the seed of Israel. They said to him, “you are our brother”. Now at the same time Israel became liable to extinction because they unduly flattered Agripas. For even though they didn’t have the ability to protest, nevertheless, they should have been silent and not  strengthen him in this way [by saying you are legitimate, you are our brother]. And this is the punishment of one who gives undue flattery in the matter of a transgression because he is afraid of the other person and is not concerned about the fear of the Holy One Blessed be He [until here is the translated quote of the Mishna Brura chapter 156].

The Vilna Gaon Predicted That The Generation In Which The Son Of David Arrives In Will Be Entirely Liable Based On A Sin Similar To The “Agripas Sin”

Article by Shlomo Moshe Scheinman

G-d will intervene to make you hated no matter what treason you try to gain the favor of the Gentiles.
Since you, the Bernie Sanders type Jew probably do not take the Bible seriously, I will bring up an argument from history.
While early Soviet ideology officially condemned antisemitism, Joseph Stalin systematically targeted, purged, and executed ethnically Jewish Old Bolsheviks and loyal Soviet allies. Because secular Jewish revolutionaries had played a massive, disproportionate role in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Stalin increasingly viewed them as ideological rivals, political threats, or potential foreign spies.—

The Great Purge and Old Bolsheviks (1936–1938)

During the Great Terror, Stalin targeted many of his former allies who were key architects of the revolution. Ethnic Jews held prominent positions in early Soviet governance, making them major targets during the Moscow Trials.

• Leon Trotsky (born Lev Bronstein):** The co-architect of the 1917 Revolution, creator of the Red Army, and Stalin’s primary rival for power. Stalin expelled him from the USSR in 1929, waged a global smear campaign against “Trotskyism,” and ultimately ordered his assassination in Mexico in 1940.
• Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev:** Both were secular Jewish Old Bolsheviks and close allies of Vladimir Lenin. They initially formed a triumvirate with Stalin to block Trotsky’s rise. Once Stalin secured power, he turned on them, forcing false confessions during the First Moscow Trial in 1936 before having them executed.
• Karl Radek and Grigori Sokolnikov:** High-ranking party intellectuals and diplomats who helped draft early Soviet economic and foreign policies. Both were arrested during the 1937 trial of the “Parallel Anti-Soviet Trotskyist Center” and died in the Gulag.

—

The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee Purges (1948–1952)

• During World War II, the Soviet regime created the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC) to mobilize international support and fundraising—particularly from secular Jewish communities in the United States and Britain—for the Soviet war effort. Once the war ended, Stalin viewed these international connections as treasonous.
• Solomon Mikhoels (1948):** A renowned Yiddish actor, director, and chairman of the JAC. In 1948, Stalin personally ordered his assassination in Minsk. His death was staged to look like a hit-and-run truck accident, and he was initially given a state funeral.
• The “Night of the Murdered Poets” (August 12, 1952):** Thirteen prominent ethnically Jewish intellectuals, writers, and government officials—most of whom were committed communists and JAC members—were executed in Moscow’s Lubyanka Prison.
• Solomon Lozovsky:** A veteran Bolshevik, former Deputy Commissar of Foreign Affairs, and head of Soviet international radio propaganda.
• Itzik Feffer & Peretz Markish:** Devoted communist Yiddish poets who had toured the West during WWII to raise millions for the Red Army.

The “Rootless Cosmopolitan” Campaign and Slánský Trial (1948–1952)

Following the establishment of the State of Israel, Stalin launched a state-sponsored ideological campaign against “rootless cosmopolitans”—a thin code word for ethnically Jewish intellectuals accused of lacking patriotism and harboring Western sympathies.

The Prague Slánský Trial (1952):** At Stalin’s directive, Eastern European satellite states conducted similar purges. In Czechoslovakia, **Rudolf Slánský**, the General Secretary of the Communist Party and a loyal communist, was arrested alongside 13 co-defendants (11 of whom were ethnically Jewish). They were accused of a “Zionist-Imperialist” conspiracy, forced to confess, and executed.

—

The Doctors’ Plot (1951–1953)

• In the final months of Stalin’s life, the regime concocted a conspiracy claiming that a group of prominent physicians—predominantly ethnically Jewish—were plotting to poison high-ranking Soviet political and military leaders.
• Miron Vovsi:** Chief internist of the Red Army during WWII and cousin of the murdered Solomon Mikhoels. He and dozens of senior doctors were arrested, severely tortured, and forced to confess.
• Intended Mass Deportation:** Historians widely agree that the plot was designed as a prelude to a massive party purge and the potential mass deportation of the Soviet Jewish population to labor camps in Siberia and the Far East. The campaign only halted due to Stalin’s sudden death in March 1953.

For more about Stalin’s attempt to murder most of the Jews of the Soviet Union, which was stopped on Purim 1953 (5713) read the post:

The Purim Downfall of the Soviet Communist Dictator, Stalin as Related by Political Prisoner, Rabbi Yitzchok Zilber

Who Will Build the 3rd Temple? Will It Descend from Heaven or Will Man Build It?

based on a Hebrew video on the Haftarah of Ki Tavo about 11 months ago by Rabbi Elisha Wolfson

To the holy congregation ascending the Temple Mount in purity, seeking out this holy place—how fortunate you are! This is a great mitzvah.

We have a very, very beautiful Haftarah today, and we are blessed to read it and fill ourselves with strength, joy, and understanding. In the Book of Yishayahu (Isaiah), chapter 60, it is written: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem has risen upon you.” The Holy One, Blessed be He, is telling us that the time has arrived. After an exceedingly great concealment of the Divine Countenance—after a long, painful exile—Hashem is shining His light back upon us.

Think about what this means. Over the course of such a long exile and immense pain, what extraordinary faith was required! Through so many years of suffering and afflictions, our ancestors held fast to the truth that the word of our Hashem shall stand forever. And now, the words of the prophets are coming to life before our eyes! “Your word is truth and endures forever.”

The prophet continues: “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the nations; but Hashem shall shine upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.” What a beautiful verse. Essentially, those who once held power and light—the enemies who tormented the Nation of Israel for 2,000 years—will be covered in darkness. But upon Israel, the light of Hashem will shine.

This light will bring darkness upon the wicked, but it will also awaken the good that exists within the nations of the world. As it is written: “Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by the brightness of your rising.” Just as we recite in our prayers, “For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Once judgment passes over the wicked, the good within the nations will be able to shine, and they will all walk toward the light of Israel and the light of the Creator.

“Lift up your eyes round about and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.” Look around—how can we not see this being fulfilled right now? The ingathering of the exiles over the past century is beyond belief! It is historic! From every corner of the globe, Jews of all languages and backgrounds, once scattered, are gathering and returning home.

“Then you shall see and be radiant… and your heart shall thrill and rejoice… because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of nations shall come to you.” Those who were once our enemies will turn around and deeply desire to stand by our side, to assist us, and to merit a portion with the Nation of Israel. The prophet describes caravans of camels bringing gold and frankincense, proclaiming the praises of Hashem, just as it was in the days of King Shlomo (Solomon) when the whole world sought to bestow gifts upon him. Flocks and rams will be brought to be accepted willingly upon the altar in Zion, restoring glory to the Temple Mount.

Now, pay close attention, because there is a crucial point here in these verses.

Yishayahu (Isaiah) states: “Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall serve you… The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane tree, and the pine together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary, and I will make the place of My feet glorious.”

What does this mean? During the First Temple, where did King Shlomo get the timber? From the cedars of Lebanon! Here, Yishayahu prophesies that for the Third Temple as well, timber—cypress, plane trees, and pine—will be brought to build the sanctuary. The nations surrounding us will bring us wood specifically so that we can construct the Temple!

This is not just a poetic metaphor. Ibn Ezra explicitly explains that “to beautify” means to build the House of Hashem. The Radak writes: “‘To beautify the place of My sanctuary’—that they shall build the Temple with them.”

These are simple texts, yet we must remind people of them. Regrettably, there are many today who believe that we are not supposed to actively build the Third Temple. Why? Because they rely on a Midrash stating that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will lower a Temple of fire directly from the heavens, leading them to conclude there is no commandment for human hands to build it.

But the prophet tells us explicitly that the nations of the world will bring materials for its construction! We have an explicit prophecy that the Third Temple will be built by human beings—by us!

The Malbim offers a fascinating synthesis to reconcile these sources. He notes that the physical structure of the Temple will be glorified through a building constructed by human hands. However, “the place of My feet”—the Holy of Holies, which transcends physical dimensions—will be glorified directly by Hashem Himself. The outer structure is our duty to build, while the Divine Presence sanctifies the inner realm.

Even Rashi agrees with this framework, noting that the trees of Lebanon will be taken by us to build the Third Temple. No sage disputes these verses. Therefore, this serves as a direct answer to anyone who refrains from ascending the Temple Mount, seeking out the Temple, or striving toward its reconstruction under the passive assumption that we must simply sit back and wait for it to fall from the sky. That is simply not the case!

Our Sages note that if the nations of the world truly understood how much blessing the Temple brings to them, how beneficial and essential it is for the entire world, they wouldn’t try to stop us—they would be pleading with us to build it immediately! For Zion is the ultimate source of blessing: “For there Hashem commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”

The prophecy concludes with unmatched comfort: “Whereas you were forsaken and hated… I will make you an eternal pride… Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise… Hashem will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.”

Instead of resources being consumed by war, wealth will go toward building the Temple, toward life, and toward peace.

We are standing here today, just after a terribly painful terror attack, carrying immense grief. Yet, despite all the hardships, the Nation of Israel only moves forward. The light of Hashem continues to shine upon us more and more. May we soon merit the complete fulfillment of this entire prophecy, a complete redemption in mercy, and the privilege of rebuilding the Temple in joy and gladness of heart. And let us say, Amen!

While the media competes to estimate how many young people live on the hills, hundreds of pioneering families have quietly taken the wheel in recent years. What is the current number of populated hills in existence today, and how did a handful of teenagers keeping a flame alive transform into a public sector leading the struggle for Judea and Samaria?

Every few months a stormy debate erupts in the media over the number of people belonging to the group known as the “Hilltop Youth.” “We are talking about seventy youth from broken homes,” the prime minister recently stated in an interview on American television. “Security officials” warned that the number has jumped to 300, while others argued the opposite—that it is roughly 150 people staying on the hills and outposts.

A government plan launched by Avichai Tnaami, the coordinator for Hilltop Youth affairs in the Ministry of Defense, claimed to have determined the exact number after a mapping process: 657 across the farms and hills combined. Yes, no more and no less. So, what is the answer to this million-dollar question? I will give you a disappointing spoiler: Even in this column, despite being a resident of the hills, I cannot state the exact number.

Still, you should not miss this column. The number of pioneering youth on the hills today is highly respectable, and many more join every month. The staggering statistic, however, is the growth rate over the past decade. It is not merely the growth in the number of young people, but the transformation of a small, alienated group into a fully fledged public sector that is making history in Judea and Samaria and winning broad support from wall to wall.

“They Are Not Loners”

Back in the Hebrew year 5775 (2015), during my early days on the hills, a few friends and I sat in a small wooden shack that could barely withstand the fierce winds battering the mountaintop. Smartphones were not really part of our lives then; even mentioning them was frowned upon. Our only connection to the outside world—meaning what people were saying about us in the media—came through video clips of news reports downloaded onto our basic Nokia devices.

Elisha Yered and his wife in Ramat Migron. Photography: No credit.

One of the reports broadcast on Channel 2 transitioned into a heated panel discussion. “But Amnon, why aren’t they catching them? After all, we’re dealing with just a few lone youth,” host Oded Ben-Ami asked political and legal commentator Amnon Abramovich. Abramovich quickly and decisively pushed back: “They’re not loners. They’re a few thousand loners. And that’s why they’re not catching them.” To this day I will never forget the roars of laughter that echoed across the hill, because at that exact time there were only two populated hills in all of Judea and Samaria.

Those hills were occupied by twenty youth at most, none older than seventeen. It was a difficult transitional period. The previous generation, which had begun with the “Youth for the Land of Israel” organization, had mostly settled into bourgeois life. The few who remained were largely wiped out by a wave of administrative restraining orders and severe harassment. Any young person who stayed on a hill for more than four consecutive months received an administrative order that was renewed from time to time, resulting in a ban from Judea and Samaria for at least the next two years.

Only Two Hills, Back Then

I fully joined the activities during this period. We remained on the ground—a handful of teenagers lacking basic experience but filled with stubbornness and simple faith that compensated for everything. There were only two hills, total: Geulat Zion in the Shilo bloc and Givat HaBaladim near Kochav HaShachar. Once a week a campaign of destruction would take place on these two hills to ensure that neither managed to establish itself.

A Jewish shepherd tends to his flock of sheep and goats at Zarda Farm near the Israeli settlement of Peduel in the West Bank, July 28, 2026. Photography: Hilel Ben Or/Flash90

In addition to the demolitions, special task forces from the Central District Police (Yamar) and the Special Patrol Unit (Yasam) would raid the hills at least once a day and arrest anyone they managed to catch. There is no doubt we came out of those days in good physical shape. Only one family—the Shapira family—managed to survive on the hills throughout this entire period despite the harsh routine of evictions on Givat HaBaladim, where they lived.

They lived in wooden shacks that were destroyed and rebuilt, then moved into cheaper tents. When those too were repeatedly destroyed, the family tried to replace their residential tent with a towed caravan in the hope that the bulldozers would bypass it. Instead of demolishing it, Civil Administration inspectors loaded it onto a tow truck and carted it off to the impound lot. Bringing additional families was something one could not even dream about.

The Campaign for Open Spaces Will Decide the Fate of Judea and Samaria

For nearly three years we held on by our teeth entirely on our own—a group of young men without families, driven by one clear goal: keeping the flame of settlement alive outside the fences of the established communities. We knew with all our hearts that the campaign for the open spaces would decide the fate of Judea and Samaria. We received banishment orders, passed the reins to others, and returned to the field the very day the order expired.

About eight years ago the severe wave of persecution that had battered the hills began to fade. Police raids stopped, the security establishment ceased treating mere presence on a hill as a grave criminal offense, and the campaigns of destruction moderated somewhat. Simultaneously, the Israeli public began to be exposed to the plans of the Palestinian Authority and to understand the vital importance of settling the open areas. The debate shifted from asking why this needed to be done at all to seeking advice on how to do it right.

The widening support brought two developments: an increase in the number of activists and families seeking to join, and a reduction in the scope of institutional harassment. For the first time, reasonable conditions for families were created. You still needed to be “crazy” to move with your family to one of the hills, but only a year earlier, even if you were, the atmosphere of persecution had simply made it impossible.

Givat Kumi Ori in Yitzhar Signaled the Change on the Ground

The first sign of the changing reality came from Givat Kumi Ori in Yitzhar. After several years of single young men living on the hill, one of them got married and established his home there. It was a day of celebration for all the hills, whose number had already grown to five. A few months later another young man from the hill married, and subsequently two more couples moved there. The reality of four families living on a single hill still seemed entirely imaginary.

Destruction of the Maoz Esther hilltop village. Photography: Yonatan Sindel, Flash 90.

It is strange to think about it now, but when my wife and I got married and became the first family in Maoz Esther, we were actually only the seventh family across all the hills combined. This happened just seven and a half years ago, yet it feels as though a generation has passed. In those days the first great breakthrough began. After a year in Maoz Esther and three evictions, another family joined the hill.

At the same time two other families moved to Givat HaBaladim, which had meanwhile received its official name, Ayira Shachar. Joining the list of hills that changed status within a short time—from a youth outpost to a hill of families—were also Kol Dodi near Kochav HaShachar, Geulat Zion in the Shilo bloc, and Oz Zion near Givat Asaf.

The Directors of the Hills

During the twilight of the Bennett-Lapid government, a harsh wave of destruction was unleashed across all the hills. Week after week, bulldozers accompanied by hundreds of police officers moved from hill to hill and erased any new construction. The goal was single-minded: to break the spirit. The families held on by their teeth and demanded that the right-wing Members of Knesset put an end to this injustice the moment they returned to power. Indeed, this powerful wave was halted on the night the current government was established.

Minister Smotrich. Photography: Yonatan Sindel, Flash 90.

A few secondary waves still followed, including the destruction of three family homes in Givat Ayira Shachar under the authority of Minister Smotrich, but the intense frequency that had made it impossible to keep one’s head above water ceased. Later, evictions on these veteran hills stopped completely. A few months before the war, a new era began on the hills. The six or seven veteran hills experienced accelerated absorption of families, and a new wave of settlement outposts establishing themselves on the land was launched.

The breathing room granted to the veteran hills led, for the first time, to the joining of families with many children and even relatively middle-class families who could not have withstood a routine of evictions and destruction. The front line skipped forward to the newly established hills. The removal of the constant threat of destruction from the older hills meant that within a single political term they all turned into young communities in every sense. Each now has twenty to thirty families, and the momentum continues to grow. This achievement, by no means minor, is undoubtedly credited in significant measure to Minister Smotrich.

Support for the Hills and Farms Reached New Heights

The October 7 war that erupted without warning shook the entire nation of Israel and changed the security perception of its citizens. Within a few months almost every right-wing person—especially those living in the settlements—understood that control over the open spaces is vital. Without it, even their own fenced communities would not be secure. Support for the hills and agricultural farms reached new heights, and the number of people who physically joined the effort soared.

Within just one year another wave of new settlement points was launched, many of them already within Area B. Automatically the line of friction skipped forward as well, and the second generation of hills became rear positions free of evictions, allowing them to begin establishing themselves. If we briefly review the state of the hills today, the figures are highly impressive. No fewer than seventy hills are spread across Judea and Samaria, with the Binyamin and Samaria sectors topping the list.

Tel Talpiot Hill. Photography: Naama Stern.

About ten hills are already young communities, and accelerated absorption is expected to double the number of families living in them within a year or two. Behind them are another fifteen hills in intermediate stages, each housing between three and ten families, and roughly forty-five newer hills established over the past two years, which accommodate an average of one to four families each.

Families Present in More Than Ninety Percent of the Hills

In fact, more than 90 percent of the hills today have families, and those families manage the sites themselves. The father of the first family usually serves as the director of the hill. He is aided by the single young men who form the settlement nucleus in the area; he guides them, gives them a warm home and a listening ear, and provides everything the youth require.

We tend to speak repeatedly about the youth on the hills, while the families who navigate the ship and lead the operations are barely mentioned. In the Frontline Hills Directorate—the organization I am privileged to belong to, which established twelve new hills in the past year alone—we emphasize exactly this point. Every hill has a director who holds authority over the place and navigates operations at every crossroads. The youth are proud to follow him and learn from his experience.

And since we are already talking about youth, let us present a few data points. Every hill has an average core group of five to eight young men defined as permanent residents. They bear responsibility for running the farm and developing the territory, pull guard shifts and herding duties, and define the place as their actual home. In addition, every hill has a secondary circle of several dozen volunteers who are an inseparable part of the nucleus; without them the permanent residents could not withstand the workload.

Ramat Migron. Photography: Haim Goldberg, Flash 90.

Driven by a Sense of Mission and a Desire to Take Action

The volunteers are yeshiva students or young men who have entered the workforce. They arrive at varying frequencies—ranging from staying overnight on a regular basis to pulling night shifts once a week. They define themselves as full-fledged Hilltop Youth (“Giva’onim”) in every sense, but for the time being they choose not to bear the full commitment of the grueling daily routine on the hill. I meet these young men during their very first days on the hill, when they are enthusiastic yet still bashful.

They are driven by a sense of mission and a desire to take action, arriving with the mindset that they will conquer the world. Most of them did not leave the yeshiva because of difficulties with studying, but rather out of a desire to give more to the People of Israel than they felt they were contributing there. Some are also looking for a bit of action, but for most this quickly balances out—and those who do not adapt simply leave. People often label the youth on the hills as “youth at risk” who come to cast off burdens and accountability, but the truth is that the demanding routine governing the hills simply does not allow such youth to survive here for long.

No teenager searching for direction in life and looking to escape accountability would willingly throw himself into a life of guarding for three hours a night, herding sheep for eight hours in the blazing sun, working until dark, and being scrambled for unexpected incidents around the clock in any weather. This column is far from a final summary. In two months, God willing, the data here will likely no longer even be relevant.

Nevertheless, this is undoubtedly a gratifying moment to stop and observe this wondrous community that is taking shape right before our eyes. Pioneering families, dedicated and high-quality youth, and soon the second generation will join them. The results: Hundreds of thousands of dunams, including areas within the Oslo Accords territories, are returning to Hebrew hands after two thousand years of exile through a determined struggle filled with faith and love for the Land. How fortunate we are to have merited this.

Source of the English version translated from the Olam Katan article: https://hilltopmaccabees.org/the-hilltop-youth-its-been-a-long-time-since-they-were-just-youth/

Altalena – Then and Now…

Tuesday, 12 Elul 5786 [Aug. 25, 2026]

Yesterday we were informed of the finding of the Altalena ship in the depths of the sea, that same ship that was sunk in the early days of the State of Israel while murdering 19 Jews in cold blood by those who pride themselves on love of man, democracy, values of tolerance and peace, and all good things—which reminds one quite a bit of the spiritual heritage of their Soviet patrons at that time. The ship was intended to bring weapons for the battle for Jerusalem in the War of Independence, but those who wanted to establish the State of Tel Aviv preferred to sink their ideological opponents together with the aspiration for Jerusalem, which was contrary to their entire essence and the entire cognitive identity that they sought to pour into the state being established in those days.

Menachem Begin

Much water has flowed in the Mediterranean Sea since it was stained with the blood of the murdered, and the State of Israel, too, took on a different shape from how those murderers planned it. Jerusalem was liberated against their will 19 years later, after they failed to convince King Hussein of Jordan to refrain from joining Egypt and Syria in an attempt to complete the work of the Nazis and destroy Israel. Menachem Begin—who was the main target in the murder campaign—rose to power, and the aura of Socialist Zionism gradually faded away, as the masses of the House of Israel grew weary of Stalin’s legacy, and slowly but surely—they are returning to their Father in Heaven.

However, within this entire historical saga, there is one very topical fact that it is important to focus on, so that we learn the correct lesson from the legacy of the Altalena and do not fall into another cognitive trap. Many on the Israeli Right pride themselves on Menachem Begin’s responsibility in not returning fire toward the murderers on that day off the shores of Tel Aviv and Kfar Vitkin. According to them, that restraint prevented a disastrous fratricidal war at a time when Arab armies threatened to consume the newly established state. However, whoever draws an analogy from that affair to our present day should remember that a critical difference exists, which changes the face of the picture!

In those days, the tyrannical rule of the Left was indeed achieved through thuggery and all known means taken from the Bolshevik world from which they drew their worldview, but after all—they were indeed the majority. It was a steamrolling, tyrannical, cruel majority, but a majority. This was expressed in the Knesset elections for thirty years, until the political upheaval in 5737 [1977]. By virtue of this majority, they represented the people living in Zion, for better or worse, mostly for worse. In such a reality, everything must be done to reverse the trend, to move the people to a different cognitive state, to change the reality, but as long as it remains as such—one must take into account the fact that they largely embody the face of the nation. Today, by contrast, they are very far from being a majority. The people of Israel in their masses left their path long ago, and even the secular Right no longer speaks to the masses. The young Jew in Israel today wants more Jewish identity, more Torah, more fulfillment of the covenant with the Creator of the World. Heretical education, the bringing of masses of non-Jews through a perforated Law of Return, the treacherous attempt to join forces with the Arab enemy, the attempt to bring infiltrators here who will assist our enemies in pushing back the blessed demographic growth of the G-d-fearing public—all of these failed, and they can no longer speak in the name of the majority!

Consequently, their threat of a fratricidal war is not supposed to impress us. The restraint in the face of the massacre on the Altalena cannot serve as a model for surrender before their ideological heirs, who strive to force their minority opinion upon the nation. When those descendants of the Altalena murderers took to the streets following the judicial reform in order to prevent the faith-based public from governing according to the mandate it received from the public—they should have been handled with an iron fist, perhaps not as they in their murderousness did to us at the time, but definitely not to surrender and allow them to rule here even though the people have grown weary of them. When the government of Israel dismissed the criminal Attorney General and the High Court ruled that this was unreasonable, they should have taken the Attorney General together with the High Court judges and put them on trial for rebellion, with all that this implies. When the limp General Staff opposes the government’s policy, we must exercise the majority granted to us by the public to send them respectfully home and bring under them loyal officers who will express the will of the people.

The remains of the Altalena were found, but that is not enough to fix the wrong done on that day. The Left strives to this day to replicate the murder, and on more than one occasion its spokespeople expressed nostalgia for that shameful event. Ben-Gurion was not ashamed to announce in the Provisional State Council following the sinking of the Altalena—“Blessed is the holy cannon! It will be displayed in the Third Temple!” About forty years later, following an antisemitic pogrom carried out in the city of Givatayim, they wrote in Hashomer Hatzair’s newspaper Al HaMishmar—“How sweet it is to see the leaders of Hashomer Hatzair and Noar Oved brandishing clubs… Joined yesterday to the holy cannon that sank the Altalena was the holy stone that shattered the windshield of Kahane’s car.” And there is no need to mention the thuggery of recent years; everyone knows it.

Let us not be confused: they are no longer a majority; they are a negligible minority trying by force of arm to impose its opinion on the majority. While they look with nostalgia upon that painful affair, we are still steeped in a trauma that grips us with paralysis whenever they threaten a fratricidal war. But if we desire life, we must free ourselves from it as soon as possible. When they were the majority, they could run us over (not only Begin and the Irgun, but all their opponents, including the G-d-fearing public, the immigrants from Eastern countries, and anyone who threatened their hegemony). No more! We are the majority, and the time has come for us to know how to realize it!

The author is Rabbi Yehuda Epstein – Chairman of the Kedushat Zion Association, the association of Haredim demanding Zion on pure holy grounds.

Article from Gemini AI

The discovery of the wreck of the Altalena marks the resolution of a decades-long historical mystery, bringing back into focus one of the most defining and painful events in modern Israeli history.

The Recent Discovery

• Location & Depth: The intact hull of the Altalena was located at a depth of 503 meters (about 1,650 feet), approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the coast of Tel Aviv.

• The Operation: The search effort was carried out using advanced sonar technology, underwater survey systems, and mapping capabilities. The operation was funded via the Heritage Ministry, using research vessels such as the Bat-Galim.

• Condition & Future: Images and sonar data show the ship intact on the seafloor. Due to its depth, marine engineers consider physically raising the entire ship to be virtually impossible. Officials are evaluating underwater documentation options, as well as potential monuments or floating markers to commemorate the location.

The History of the Altalena Incident (June 1948)

The Altalena affair occurred just weeks after Israel declared independence in May 1948, amidst the ongoing War of Independence. It represented a critical power struggle between the newly established state authority and paramilitary organizations.

1. Background & Context

• 

  Menachem Begin

  The Ship: The vessel—a former WWII landing ship—was purchased by the Irgun (or Etzel), a right-wing Jewish paramilitary group led by Menachem Begin.

• The Cargo: The ship set sail from France carrying over 900 immigrants, fighters, and a vast arsenal of military equipment (thousands of rifles, submachine guns, artillery pieces, and millions of rounds of ammunition).

2. The Disagreement

• Israel’s new Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, insisted that all armed forces be consolidated into a single state military—the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)—and demanded that the state take control of all incoming arms shipments.

• Begin agreed to hand over most weapons to the IDF, but demanded that 20% of the shipment go to Irgun units fighting in Jerusalem (which was not yet officially part of Israel under the UN partition plan). Ben-Gurion viewed this as an unacceptable challenge to state sovereignty and an attempt to maintain a private militia.

3. The Confrontation

• Kfar Vitkin: The ship initially landed at Kfar Vitkin, north of Netanya, on June 20, where passengers disembarked and unloading began. IDF forces surrounded the area and issued an ultimatum. Fighting broke out, resulting in casualties on both sides before a brief truce was struck.

• Tel Aviv Coast: The Altalena then sailed south to Tel Aviv, running aground near the shore. Standoffs and exchanges of fire broke out between Irgun members on the ship/shore and IDF soldiers.

• The Sinking: Ben-Gurion famously ordered artillery fire on the ship, referring to the artillery piece as the “Holy Cannon” for preserving state authority. The ship was set ablaze under the direct command of IDF forces.

4. Averting Civil War

• In total, 16 Irgun members and 3 IDF soldiers were killed in the clashes.

• Despite the casualties, Menachem Begin broadcast an impassioned order to his followers prohibiting them from returning fire or retaliating, famously declaring that there would be no “war between brothers”. His restraint prevented the incident from escalating into a full-blown civil war during the nation’s struggle for existence.

5. Historical Legacy

The burned-out hull remained off the Tel Aviv shore for over a year before it was towed out to deep sea and deliberate sunk, where its exact location remained hidden until this discovery. The incident served as a foundational milestone for the principle of state sovereignty in Israel, though it remained a deeply partisan political symbol for decades.

The Role of Yitzchak Rabin in the Incident

During the Altalena incident in June 1948, a 26-year-old Yitzhak Rabin served as the deputy commander of the Palmach (the elite strike force of the Haganah) and was the primary field commander on the ground at the Palmach headquarters along the Tel Aviv shoreline.

His involvement placed him directly at the center of one of the most polarizing actions taken during the affair.

Key Aspects of Rabin’s Role

1. Command of Ground Forces in Tel Aviv

• When the Altalena moved south from Kfar Vitkin and ran aground off the coast of Tel Aviv near the Palmach headquarters (at the Ritz Hotel on the beachfront), Rabin took local command of the IDF/Palmach troops stationed along the shore.

• He was responsible for executing the directives from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and IDF Chief of Staff Yaakov Dori to prevent the Irgun from landing the weapons or securing a beachhead.

2. Directing Fire on the Ship

• As exchanges of heavy small-arms fire broke out between Irgun fighters (on both the vessel and the beach) and IDF soldiers, Rabin commanded the defense of the Palmach headquarters.

• When artillery pieces were brought to the Tel Aviv beachhead to force the ship’s surrender, Rabin oversaw the execution of Ben-Gurion’s direct orders to shell the vessel. The artillery fire hit the ship, igniting its ammunition payload and forcing the crew and passengers to abandon ship.

3. The Controversial Aftermath

• Following the explosion, some soldiers on the beach opened fire on Irgun members attempting to swim ashore or evacuate the burning ship. Rabin later noted in his memoirs that he ordered his troops to cease firing at swimmers and expressed regret over the violence, maintaining that his unit was responding to intense fire coming from both the vessel and Irgun fighters on the shore.

Long-Term Historical Impact

Rabin’s role in the shelling of the Altalena remained a deep point of political friction throughout his career:

• Political Polarization: For decades, political opponents—particularly supporters of Menachem Begin and the Israeli right wing—frequently brought up Rabin’s actions on the beach, using it as a political charge against him during his political career and tenures as Prime Minister.

• Justification of State Authority: Rabin consistently defended the military’s actions as a vital step in maintaining a single, unified chain of command for the newly formed Israel Defense Forces, arguing that allowing an armed militia to operate independently would have destroyed the young nation from within.

Comment by Shlomo Moshe Scheinman: A person who lived in Tel Aviv at the time of the incident, told me years later, that the Irgun had surrendered or at the very least were no longer a threat, swimming in the water after their boat was damaged and that Rabin’s men shot the Irgun soldiers without proper justification.

Based on a lecture by Rabbi Elisha Wolfson, with a note by Shlomo Moshe Scheinman

Rabbi Elisha Wolfson standing by part of the bedrock on the Southern Side of the Temple Mount

Part A: The Reaction to Amalek and the Damage to Hashem’s Throne

Reconciling Contradictory Sources

The Torah portion of Ki Teitzei concludes with a human command: “Remember what Amalek did to you… you shall blot out the memory of Amalek” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Conversely, the Book of Exodus states: “I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek” (Exodus 17:14). The Midrash resolves this shift to severe Divine phrasing by explaining that Hashem Himself intervenes because Amalek “stretched out his hand against the Throne.”

The Temple as Hashem’s Throne and Amalekite Identity

Chronologically, the historical nation of Amalek did not destroy Jerusalem. However, the Midrash links Amalek to the verse “At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Hashem” (Jeremiah 3:17), establishing the Temple’s site as the Throne of Glory. Consequently, any enemy or force that opposes the rebuilding of the Temple—such as Haman and his sons during the Second Temple period—derives its spiritual root from Amalek. Hashem’s Name and Throne remain conceptually incomplete as long as His presence does not rest in Zion.

Rambam

Part B: The Order of the Three Commandments According to Chazal and Rambam (Maimonides)

The Halakhic Sequence

Tractate Sanhedrin (20b) and Rambam (Hilkhot Melakhim 1:1-2) rule that upon entering the Land of Israel, the Jewish nation was commanded to fulfill three obligations in a specific sequential order:

1. Appointing a king.

2. Eradicating the seed of Amalek.

3. Building the Chosen House (the Temple).

Biblical Sources

Rambam derives the priority of kingship over waging war against Amalek from King Shaul’s (Saul’s) instruction (“Hashem sent me to anoint you king… now go and strike Amalek”). He derives the priority of wiping out Amalek over building the Temple from King David’s era (“When the king dwelt in his house, and Hashem had given him rest from all his enemies around… the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar…'”).

The Concept of a Halakhic Barrier

Various halakhic authorities—most notably Rabbi David of Karlin (She’eilat David), addressing the early proposals by Rabbi Yechiel of Paris and Rabbi Kalischer to renew sacrifices—understood this sequence as a strict prerequisite. They held that rebuilding the Temple or renewing service cannot occur before a monarchy is established and Amalek is entirely destroyed.

Part C: Refuting the Delaying Approach (Rabbi Wolfson’s Arguments)

Prioritization vs. Immediate Obligation

As emphasized by Sefer HaChinuch (Commandment 603), the duty to erase Amalek falls upon every individual and the community whenever practically possible. The sequence stated by Chazal defines a priority framework applicable only when all three opportunities are simultaneously available; it is not a binding prerequisite that excuses neglecting a commandment when its execution is feasible.

Biblical and Historical Evidence

• First Temple: Built by King Solomon even though the seed of Amalek had not been fully eradicated (as Agag’s descendants persisted).

• Second Temple: Rebuilt by the returning exiles without a reigning king and amidst fierce opposition from local adversaries (“the enemies of Judah and Benjamin”). The prophet Haggai even admonished the people for delaying the reconstruction (“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this House lies in ruins?”).

Distinction Between the Tabernacle Era and Post-Destruction

The Talmudic sequence applied when the Tabernacle was actively standing and the sacrificial service, Menorah, and incense continued uninterrupted—where the only remaining step was establishing the permanent “Chosen House.” Today, with the Temple destroyed and numerous positive commandments suspended, the practical ability to construct the Temple creates an independent, immediate obligation unconditioned on earlier historical stages.

Note by Shlomo Moshe Scheinman (author of several articles that have the “Haskama” of several prominent Rabbanim)

Based on an article by Rabbi David Bar-Hayim, there are two distinct commandments regarding the Sanctuary:

• “And let them make Me a sanctuary” (Exodus 25:8): A commandment initiated in the wilderness.

• Establishing a permanent location for the “Chosen House”: Conditions fulfilled during the reign of King David.

When rebuilding the Temple today, we fulfill the foundational command of “and let them make Me a sanctuary,” which does not depend on a rigid sequence like appointing a king or destroying Amalek.

Because King David already established the permanent geographic location for the Chosen House, contemporary efforts need not wait at all for a king or the complete defeat of Amalek to comply with what the Rambam wrote in (Hilkhot Melakhim 1:1-2).

Rabbi Wolfson Refutes Rabbi Barak Shragai

A Picture of Rabbi Wolfson pointing out the bedrock. (The picture linked to a video)

Rabbi Wolfson pointing at the bedrock

• The Theory Being Challenged: Rabbi Barak Shragai published a book (Noyo Shel Olam), reviving a 30-year-old theory by researcher Tuvia Sagiv. This theory claims the Temple was located on the southern side of the Temple Mount rather than at the traditional location of the Dome of the Rock, and that its ruins lie over 10 meters below ground level .

• The Refutation: Rabbi Wolfson points out an immediate physical contradiction: visible natural bedrock (Sela Em) on the surface at that location .

• Conclusion: Because the natural bedrock is visibly exposed on the current ground surface, the Temple could not have existed 10 meters underneath it. Rabbi Wolfson asserts that the theory contradicts Jewish tradition, common logic, and observable physical reality . He concludes that this southern area served as the ascending pathway up to the Temple and the Holy of Holies, ending with a prayer for the rebuild of the Temple

Further suggested reading:

A Critique of Architect, Tuvia Sagiv’s Temple Mount Theory

Quote from the Metsuda translation of Eshter, chapter 8 as translated by The Metsudah Five Megillot, Lakewood, N.J., 2001