Edelstein promises to return Jewish settlement to Homesh

Edelestein, along with MKs from both the opposition and coalition, intend on restoring Homesh. They believe this is a first step to the return of Jews in the rest of northern Samaria.

By World Israel News staff

Likud MK Yuli Edelstein promised to return Jewish settlement to Homesh in northern Samaria on Sunday during a visit with other members of the opposition to the Herev Le’et settlement, Israeli media reported.

“We plan on returning Jewish settlement to Homesh, and we will even build new homes there in the future,” Edelstein said.

Edelstein established the lobby for Homesh in 2007 with then MK Aryeh Eldad. Now Edelstein says that “it has become time to renew the lobby.” He, along with four other MKs from both the opposition and the coalition, including Yisrael Beiteinu, New Hope, and Yamina,  have joined the lobby.

The former health minister admitted that the efforts will not be easy but said that never in the past has he taken on something that he did not intend to finish.

“Control is with the IDF, and all it takes is brave policy making decisions,” Edelstein told Arutz Sheva.

“We will work through the parliament and will make every effort to repeal the [2005] Disengagement plan in the northern Samarian area, and then the way will be paved for Jewish return in Homesh,” he said in an interview.

Homesh was one of four settlements to be razed in 2005 as a part of the Disengagement plan, and the government has since maintained that the land is private Palestinian property, which is now used by farmers to access their land.

The settlement has been a site of contention after the government demolished a number of Jewish homes in the settlement only a week after Yehuda Dimentman, 25, was shot to death in a Palestinian terror attack as he was leaving the yeshiva. The IDF then made plans to evacuate the yeshiva.

However, Edelstein said Sunday that “The next goal after this is settling northern Samaria.” He added that the name of the new lobby is Homesh Tehila (beginning, first).

“Homesh has become a symbol, the lobby name shows that we believe it is possible to give a message of hope and change the change the direction of the evacuation plan,” he explained.

The demolition and planned evacuation in December attracted some tens of thousands of protesters.

“An Israeli government evacuating Jews from the place where a Jew was killed is what is giving the Arabs the sense that they rule the land,” said Noam party head Avi Maoz at the time.

That same week, the Knesset struck down a vote in favor of declaring legalization for the Homesh yeshiva, where Dimentman had been studying, in addition to some 70 West Bank outposts.