Senior Religious Zionist Gedoilim sent a letter to the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers in light of the ongoing war in the south.
In their letter, they emphasized that victory in the war against Hamas is not limited to harming terrorist capabilities and freeing the hostages held by Gaza terror groups. Instead, they stressed, victory must be substantive and long-term — complete occupation of Gaza, promoting the enemy's emigration, and renewing Jewish settlement in every part of Gaza.
According to them, the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, with an ancient Jewish history, and relinquishing it would be a "moral, security, and national catastrophe." The rabbis noted that "only a full return to it will restore spirit and justice to the Jewish people."
The letter stressed that students and soldiers have approached the rabbis, asking them to act to push decision-makers to ensure that the fighting leads to a clear goal, and not to a situation where "we return again and again to capture lands we’ve already captured just to give them back to the enemy."
They added, "So long as Hamas or any hostile force remains on our borders, Israel has no real deterrence."
The Gedoilim called for a change in the political outlook towards Gaza, to begin settling the northern perimeter area, and to instruct the IDF to fully conquer all of Gaza. They concluded their appeal with a call to the Prime Minister and Cabinet to "state a clear truth: Victory in this war will only be achieved when the Jewish people return to Gaza, not as visitors but as owners, with security and faith."
Among the Gedoilim who signed:
Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi Oury Cherki, Rabbi David Hai Cohen, Rabbi Noam Waldman, Rabbi Menachem Borenstein, Rabbi Elishama Cohen, Rabbi Dovid Fendel, Rabbi David Turgeman, Rabbi Abraham Yitzhak Schwartz, Rabbi Hagay Lundin, Rabbi Dror Twil, Rabbi Ariel Bareli, Rabbi David Dudkewitz, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Rabbi Dror Aryeh, and Rabbi Uziyahu Sharbaf.
