As Israel’s north absorbs fatal rocket attacks by the Hezbollah Islamic organization, a movement of Israelis advocating Jewish settlement in southern Lebanon will hold their first meeting next week, which will include a demonstration and tour of the border with Lebanon.
Professor Amos Azaria, one of the movement’s founders, told Global Eyewitness News that while there is currently “no plan to settle there, or even cross the fence in any way until there is a land incursion to south Lebanon, nevertheless, a statement should be expressed already today, so that when there is a ground incursion, the issue will already be in the public’s awareness.”
The movement is named after Dr. Yaakov Sokol, brother of Yisrael Sokol who was killed two months ago in Gaza. Another founder is Eliyahu Ben-Asher from Haifa, who served in the reserves for a protracted period in Gaza, and is now returning to reserve service in Israel’s north.
Global Eyewitness News asked Prof. Azaria what the movement hopes to achieve. “Settlement brings security by pushing the enemy back, and gives legitimacy and full backing to the army to act decisively against enemy troops approaching the area.”
He continued: “In the enemy’s worldview, life has no meaning besides loss of territory, which is expressed exclusively through settlement, not just military possession. Therefore, the only way to truly defeat Hezbollah and bring real security to the residents of the north is through Jewish settlement in southern Lebanon.”
On the night of May 22, 2000, one hour before midnight, Israel’s ally, the South Lebanese Army (SLA), was still in possession of all its arms and equipment, and the 2,500-man force remained intact. SLA soldiers related that on Monday night at eleven o’clock, they got a call from their IDF counterparts telling them that Hezbollah was approaching, and telling them to leave.
The simultaneous IDF abandonment and Hezbollah advance both achieved the element of surprise, inflicting a double shock on the SLA. By dawn, the SLA collapsed. Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s Lebanon withdrawal set the stage for the Hezbollah takeover that threatens Israel today.
Yes! Islam only retreats when we advance.