Israel’s “Fake War” on Terror: Deporting Terrorists From City to City

Illustration: Metal Detectors at the Temple Mount by Israel Police [CC BY-SA 3.0]

In the wake of recent terror attacks, a bill is being raised in the Knesset to deport terrorists’ families from one city in Judea and Samaria to a different city in the same area. Were it not that Jews are falling victim to terror and the nation is in turmoil, this would be humorous at best. All sovereign nations have the innate power to deport dangerous people from within their borders. It is part of the basic right of a people to decide who shall be part of its nation and who shall not. In the Land of Israel, the situation rises well above natural sovereign rights to Torah mandates, obligating us to remove the enemy in our midst. The need to remove dangerous elements from society through true deportation is much stronger in Israel, where the entire Torah rests on removing the hostile alien presence of those enemies of the People of Israel who deny the Torah. This latest bill is a classic example of the betrayal we face on a daily basis. It demonstrates the failure of the Knesset members to act for the best interests of the People of Israel — this is a failure in every way. It is 1967 all over again: As soon as victory reaches our hands, we rush to bring the enemy back into our land. The sin of Moshe Dayan carries forward to this day.

The latest proposal is not the much-awaited removal of terror supporting families from Israel, but from one area of Judea and Samaria to another. The canard claiming that it is against international law to deport terrorist families from Judea and Samaria is a vicious and traitorous cover for a more sinister motive: the eventual withdrawal from the region.

Just how traitorous is the law being presented by the Jewish Home party? The following parable illustrates the bill’s absurdity.

Imagine for a moment that you helped a friend murder a Jew; you not only knew he would kill a Jew, but you also gave him shelter afterwards to hide him, being aware of his every move and supporting his motives and his actions. Then the authorities caught up with you and your friend.

What is in store for your friend? The best treatment for any wounds he may have received — free of charge, of course. Afterwards, he’ll enjoy the best treatment prison can offer, having illicit access to academic degrees and higher education; why, he may even write a book one day and have it hosted by Israeli government agencies. Family visits are allowed in prison, as well as special arrangements for all non-Jewish holidays, and an atmosphere of camaraderie with other terrorists as they share their lives together. Do not forget the monthly payments from the Palestinian Authority, which amount to millions of shekels over the course of the years — enough for a down payment for the whole family to buy some nice real estate or a fancy car.

As an accomplice, the authorities have a "great" punishment in store for you too: They will force you to move from Tzfat to Beit Shean, or from Ramat Gan to Netanya. Not yet though, because as of now you are still free to encourage more and more terror, and if the law comes up empty you are free to continue to destroy the Jewish people as usual. Yet if this “magic” bill will be passed, they could come to enjoin you to move to a new city.

Would you not laugh in your heart and wonder how you just got away with murder, how easy and profitable it is to murder a Jew, and how light the "punishments" really are? This is the current bill being debated in the Knesset: to play ping-pong with terror families that must have taken a direct part or had direct knowledge of the attack their relative committed. The evidence will need to be solid enough for the state to prove their complicity before the judges deciding these types of cases, who constantly look to reduce sentences on terrorists and ease the burden of conscience of the “occupied” population for their murdering a Jew. Not only should this bill not be passed, but if Israel was living according to Torah law, those bringing it to the Knesset plenum would surely be tried for treason against the nation. Examining the Torah law adds a complexity that illustrates just how this bill, submitted by a so-called “right-wing” party, betrays Jewish interests. The Torah states that the ger toshav (the resident stranger) shall not work for the Jews on Shabbat. This verse is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud where it states that a servant who does not accept the mitzvot (commandments) must be removed from the Land of Israel (Yev. 48b). According to Rabbi Akiva, we are not allowed to keep him in our land even one day. The alternative opinion is to allow a 12-month period to give him a chance to accept the mitzvot, and if he then refuses, to remove him from the land by selling him to a non-Jew.

This is not a mere suggestion or a historical reference; rather it is brought down in halacha (Jewish law) (Yoreh Deah 267:4). It applies not only to servants who refuse to accept mitzvot, but to any non-Jew in Israel who refuses to accept the requirements to become a ger toshav. Rabbi Vidal of Tolosa, the Maggid Mishneh, states in his commentary on the Rambam that Muslims in general fall into this category, and therefore we should not allow them to live in Israel even one day.

This opinion is further brought down in halacha by the Chazon Ish (Teshuvot, Yoreh Deah 64). The Chofetz Chaim concurs in the Mishna Berura (304) that a ger toshav is someone who accepts the seven Noahide laws — he rules that neither Muslims (Mishna Berura 330) nor Christians meet the requirements of ger toshav, which means they must be removed from the Land of Israel according to Jewish law and not be allowed permanent residence. Given that the Torah obligates us to remove an average non-Jew who refuses to accept the seven Noahide laws, how much more so must we remove dangerous non-Jews — those who kill Jews? How strongly should one view the obligation to remove such killers from our land? With these understandings from Torah, one can see the betrayal in our midst that this proposed law brings. It is being presented as "the answer to terror," yet it undermines fundamentally Jewish principles. Jewish law requires the complete removal of terrorists — there is no doubt there.

The removal of a terror-supporting family from one area to another in Judea and Samaria suggests that the Israeli government does not intend to remove these killers from among us — it instead intends to quietly support the growth of a population of terrorists in our land.

Is this because the eventual goal is to hand these terrorists — whom they refuse to remove — the keys to the land? The only reason this has not happened is because of the brave Jews who live in Judea and Samaria. These Jews as a collective are the only barrier protecting the Jewish people from even greater tragedy.

We should not be cajoled into thinking that terror is being fought. It takes a clever mind to devise a fake bill to “fight terror” that allows terrorists to kill and be rewarded, and makes sure their families are able to bear the burden. Is some greater sinister plot involved, given the total and utter incompetence of the fake war on terror? Israel has been burned by hundreds of fiery rockets from Gaza; did this bring a strong response? Yes, Hamas demanded and received $15 million per month until a $90 million ransom has been paid. The state of Israel is in great turmoil. In 45 years, I have never seen it weaker, more ineffective, and more sinister in its betrayal of the mission of the Jewish people. Let us be aware of what is happening so we can be sure not to vote for any of the political parties that are in power at the moment, for they have shown themselves to be blind, abject failures. Tragedy will be our lot unless we remove them from power. Parties that speak openly of removing terrorists from our land — even if they are currently outside the Knesset — deserve a chance to lead.

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