Yedi‘at Ha-’arez. Reclaimed: Classic Zionist Ideology in the Advance of West Bank Settlement Eric Fleisch

Photo credit: Women in Green.

central goal of Zionist education reintroduce Yedi‘at Ha-’arez . as a living Zionist ownership of land to anyone who farmed it in the Yishuv and early Israel was principle by bringing Israelis together with for ten consecutive years, Palestinian farmers Ato engender Yedi‘at Ha-’arez . —a their land—a project that began for practical had been quietly working to gain ownership deep spiritual and physical attachment reasons, but which has developed into an of much of the land in Netzer. By the time to the land of Israel—among Hebrew ideological underpinning of their work. WIG learned what was happening, some youth. Yedi‘at Ha-’arez . developed through WIG’s practical concern is an area Palestinians had been at the task long enough physically working the land. For decades, known as Netzer—an uninhabited, two- to obtain legal ownership, and others were land cultivation was considered one of the kilometer stretch between Elazar and Alon well on their way. WIG leaders—many of noblest Zionist pursuits—simultaneously Shvut in the Gush Etzion bloc. Nearly all whom are residents of Gush Etzion—were helping build society and conferring deep of Netzer is classified by Israel as “state startled to discover this process, occurring spiritual benefits as well. While this outlook land.” According to WIG, the residents unchecked in their own backyard, could fit gracefully in an agrarian-centered society, of Alon Shvut and Elazar assumed that dramatically alter their hopes for the region. it fit less well as Israel developed into a Israel would eventually designate the WIG believed it a baseline responsibility for modern, industrialized society, and the “state land” in Netzer as part of their Zionists to prevent Jewish land from losing classic meaning of Yedi‘at Ha-’arez . faded. communities, thereby allowing expansion to Jewish ownership. Yet, the settlers’ failure One group hoping to reverse this accommodate their growing populations. to recognize Palestinian encroachment into decline is Women in Green (WIG). Founded In late 2009, however, WIG learned Netzer, in WIG’s opinion, put the fate of in 1993 to protest the Oslo Accords, WIG that Palestinian farmers had, for several Netzer, and by extension, the future growth expanded its activities after the 2005 Gaza years, been engaged in a campaign of legal of Gush Etzion and of all settlement, into withdrawal. Like others in the settlement seizure of the state land that threatened to danger. It not only hindered development movement, WIG sees a crisis in a settlement block any future Jewish expansion in Netzer. plans for a natural corridor for Jewish enterprise that, for many, is as much about Employing a strangely extant article from growth, but it gave Palestinians a blueprint convenience as about ideology. WIG tries to the Ottoman Land Code of 1858 granting to exploit Jewish apathy to create “facts on

58 AJS Perspectives the ground” that could undermine settlement work the next morning. As one volunteer the vines, they encountered a group expansion anywhere in the West Bank. explained, the planting work has “changed of Palestinians uprooting them. The When WIG learned of the situation, it our lives completely.” The work bears close WIG group confronted the Palestinians, investigated and found that most of Netzer’s resemblance to h . omah u-migdal, the grassroots who insisted the plot legally belonged vacant land was, at that point, still state land, Zionist work of the Yishuv era, in which to them. WIG called in the army to so a Palestinian takeover of the strip could, activists advanced Jewish dominion over mediate. When the soldiers arrived, theoretically, be blocked. It also realized, pockets of land under the cover of night, and they notified everyone that the disputed however, that to counter the process of by day guarded their newly created “facts plot was state land, ordering both Palestinian land seizures, WIG would have to on the ground.” But rather than marking groups to stop their activities. With the use the same land code provision and farm the new territory with fences or guard towers, plot’s status frozen, WIG considered land itself. WIG would plant on state land in this strategy is all about agriculture. New the matter closed, assuming that it Netzer with the intention of planting every conquests are a field plowed or grapevines had effectively achieved victory. open space as soon as possible. In doing this, planted in darkness. As the group’s work The following day, WIG discovered WIG hoped for one of two equally favorable has run into direct conflict with Palestinian that Palestinians had returned and outcomes: If it farmed land for long enough, farmers using the identical strategy, WIG’s completely uprooted the grapevines, the land would eventually be declared private Netzer activity can best be described as presumably in preparation for their Jewish land or, if WIG activists came into plot-by-plot trench warfare, with each side own planting. WIG decided that if the direct conflict with Palestinians over usage trying to plant faster than the other. Palestinians would not abide by the rights to a specific plot of land, the army The following recounting of one army’s decision, neither would it. So, would likely get involved and order that the week in the summer of 2010 is, according early Thursday morning, WIG volunteers contested plot be off-limits to all. In which to WIG leadership, a typical illustration returned with several large trees they case, its status would remain as state land. of the group’s work in Netzer: intended to plant on the contested plot. As soon as WIG began its campaign, However, the police, aware of the plan, its volunteers recognized that, to succeed, On Monday night, a WIG activist noticed were waiting in Netzer to block the they would have to devote themselves that a recently laid pipe had been burned. group and confiscate the trees. WIG wholeheartedly to working the land— Assuming Palestinian vandalism, WIG quickly diverted the trucks, temporarily plowing, planting, and irrigating, day and retaliated by expanding their planting hiding the trees at a nearby kibbutz. night. Most volunteers worked regular into an adjacent plot of still-vacant Two nights later, on Saturday, day jobs, and got calls late at night to land. They worked all night, planting with the matter presumably cooled, start planting a piece of land or to guard hundreds of grapevines. When activists WIG returned to plant the trees. a new planting before having to return to returned the next morning to check Sunday morning, they discovered

Photo credit: Women in Green.

SPRING 2014 59 that Palestinians had uprooted them want Jews planting—feeling dirt with their for the principle of maintaining Jewish all. So that night, they returned and hands and sweat on their faces, believing this sovereignty over all the Land of Israel. planted the trees—deeper this time. will reawaken people’s moribund Zionist WIG also hosts busloads of Israelis who Volunteers guarded the trees around impulses, as has happened with their own participate in planting. To WIG, this type of the clock for the next three days. volunteers. reimmersion in land and labor is necessary On Thursday morning, the To this end, WIG engages in outreach to revitalize a love of and commitment volunteers left. Within an hour, WIG and education to encourage Jews to to the land, which is necessary for the learned that several Palestinians experience planting in Netzer. Though WIG settlement project to survive long term. had returned with power saws. has achieved “victory” over plots of land, it WIG sees the settlement project as WIG called the army, which again considers its greater success bringing Jews endangered, principally because Jews declared the spot frozen. After that, back into communion with the land. For have strayed from the Yedi‘at Ha-’arez . that the Palestinians did not return, and example, WIG has helped less ideologically tied them to the land and helped them the battle moved on to another plot. inclined residents of Elazar and Alon Shvut succeed in its redemption generations recognize the importance of land issues, earlier. While it recognizes the practical While WIG works tirelessly to stop freeing them from what WIG considers benefits of working the land, WIG more loss of state land in Netzer, its larger goal is an “enclave mentality.” As one leader said, importantly believes it is only through a to counter what it considers the root cause residents “used to not look at those hills [in reinvigorated Yedi‘at Ha-’arez . amongst Israelis of the Netzer problem—namely, the lost Netzer] at all. . . . We basically taught the that the settlement project, and indeed commitment to Yedi‘at Ha-’arez . , which WIG people to look beyond their living room . . . the Zionist dream itself, can be saved. considers critical to maintaining a strong and to walk the hills, and show their ownership healthy Zionism. WIG believes there is a over the land.” Additionally, WIG’s well- Eric Fleisch is a postdoctoral research critical gap between an intellectual and an attended summer camp attracts youth from associate at the Cohen Center for Modern actual appreciation of the land that must be across Israel. WIG admits that it is hard to Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. He bridged for the prosettlement community to “take those kids away from . . . Facebook, is currently working on the manuscript for have any chance of eventual victory over the from everything, and actually make them a book based on his dissertation, “Israeli land-for-peace camp. From WIG’s perspective, touch the land, and feel the land and connect NGOs and American Jewish Donors: this is best achieved through promoting to the land.” But many have gotten involved, The Structures and Dynamics of Power physical re-engagement with the land. They and WIG believes it has engendered passion Sharing in a New Philanthropic Era.”

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