How do the Israelis Settle the Settlement Issue?

On February 28, Jeremy Sharon wrote an article in the Jerusalem Post titled ‘27 Days After Amona, Police Evacuate 9 Ofra Homes’. The article describes a protest on February 28 regarding various activists who gathered in Ofra in order to demonstrate against the evacuation and demolition of nine houses built on the settlement.  The activists gathered together as an answer to the plea of various settlement leaders and rabbis.  For instance, the Rabbi of Ofra, Rabbi Avi Gisser, insisted that civilians protest the forced evacuation in a peaceful manner.  According to the Jerusalem Post article, among the activists were settlers who were forced to evacuate another settlement Amona one month prior, current Ofra residents, Bnei Akiva members, and other political leaders.  The majority of the activists were minors and yeshiva students.  The unrest concerned the issue of the forced evacuation in Ofra.  According to another source, this settlement has a controversial status for it is in the West Bank, an area that is deemed as an illegally occupied territory, according to international law.  Nevertheless, the religious activists resisted police force; according to the Jerusalem Post article, some protested calmly, but others did not.  For instance, the police force was required to physically evacuate the protestors while hearing “worse than Germans” and “soldier, policeman, refuse orders” by various protestors.  In addition, several protestors and police forces were injured in the demonstration.

Image of the West Bank

Image of the West Bank, with Ofra

         The article’s author included statements from Tamar Nizri, one of the protestors who lived in Amona.  She stated that the demonstration is a vital cause for her family; although it is risky behavior, because they are confronting the police, she must instill the value of the Jewish homeland in her children.  She stated that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jews according to historical evidence.  It cannot be taken away under any circumstances.

The author, Jeremy Sharon, is a reporter of religious affairs in Israel for the Jerusalem Post.  He also has experience writing for news articles including The Guardian and LA Times.  His qualifications seem to be his BA in History and MA in the History of International Relations.  When comparing this article, written by Sharon, with articles of the same topic written in Haaretz, both seem to include the same facts.  For example, both articles state that the leaders of Ofra valued peaceful protests, there were hundreds of protestors at the Ofra homes, and among those injured were both protestors and the police.  Nevertheless, Sharon’s article tends to underscore the passions and beliefs of the religious protestors.  For instance, one third of the article is dedicated to the opinions of the religious protesters Rabbi Avi Gisser and Tamar Nizri.  Consequently, one may deduce that while the article states the facts, the author may be more sympathetic toward the passions and feelings of the settlers.

In his article, Sharon tries to capture the emotions of the reader.  For example, this article focuses on the emotional and religious aspects of the protest; however, an article written in the Times of Israel focuses on the democratic law of the state.  It explains that the IDF was called to evacuate the protestors because this territory was deemed as an illegal settlement by the Israeli High Court.  Additionally, Sharon describes the protest methods employed by the demonstrators- both peaceful and violent.  The article describes the words of slander said by the protestors to the police, yet the article also includes two videos which show the peaceful aspect of the protest.  Nevertheless, Sharon includes two videos of the emotional and passionate protest, and he excuses the “Nazi” remarks by stating that the protesters were young men and women.  Furthermore, Sharon may signal his empathy toward the religious protestors by naming the West Bank with its ancient biblical names, Judea and Samaria.  Although the article is not biased, for it provides factual information, it does so in a manner that focuses on religious passions and beliefs.