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So, What’s this Outpost Thing?

Yoel Berman

Driving with some friends in the Binyamin region of Eretz Yisrael just north of Yerushalayim, just a few short minutes past the northern Yerushalayim neighborhood of Neve Yaakov, we pass by the hilltop outpost of Giv’at Asaf. It consists of several houses built using light construction materials. These structures made of panels of insulated sheet-metal are commonly known in Israel as ‘caravanim’. Though you probably won’t find this definition in an English dictionary, an English speaker in Israel who uses the word ‘caravan’ is more likely to be referring to one of these than to a mobile home.

The government policy of not creating any new settlements on this side of the Green Line means it is impossible to get this land zoned for residential housing, and therefore any construction here would be illegal. Does that mean that Jewish construction doesn’t happen? Well, that’s a different story…

Continuing with the Mitzvah

Eli of the Nachala movement fills us in with some background. “The expulsion from Gush Katif caused a crisis in the settlement movement. There were many who thought it was maybe time to move on and invest in other undertakings, such as going back to live in the cities and do kiruv outreach, and neglect this mitzvah of yishuv Eretz Yisrael. The Nachala movement was then initiated by Moshe Levinger z”l, to continue with the settlement enterprise.”

The objective of Nachala is to arouse the Jewish people to settle the Land of Israel. From a Torah point-of-view, there are two parts to the mitzvah of yishuv Eretz Yisrael; one part is not to leave the Land in the hands of other nations, and the other part is not to leave the land desolate, but to actively settle it. While the first part may possibly be fulfilled with Jewish military control, Nachala wants to see a continuation of the second part, too.

Over time, and as a result of government policies due to American pressure not allowing new construction, there came to be a perception even among the people living in the settlements, that whatever is outside the surrounding fence is not ours, and does not legitimately and unquestionably belong to the Jewish people to settle there as we wish. It may be that the sense of less security outside the fence contributed to this feeling. This is something that Nachala is working to change.

Establishing a Presence

Nachala started with building small outposts outside existing settlements, such as Ma’oz Esther, Shevut Ami, and Ramat Migron. They suffered (and continue to suffer) many demolitions and evacuations by the army, the State and the Civil Administration, but perseverance is the name of the game.

With time and experience, and advice from professionals – legal, political, construction – they learn what works and what doesn’t. The legal status of the land they want to build on, the distance from an existing settlement, and other factors such as the army’s interest in a Jewish presence for security purposes, can determine what level of risk there is that the government will demolish or evacuate. The higher the risk, the less is invested in more permanent construction and infrastructure. First tents are put up, and people come in shifts. Once an outpost becomes more established, more is invested and people build more permanent housing, like the caravans we first saw in Giv’at Asaf, or even cement homes. There is no guarantee for permanence though; there can always be personnel changes in Civil Administration or the like that can bring a change of attitude towards an outpost. In some cases, the outposts may eventually be retroactively authorized and legalized.

A caravan home can cost anywhere between 30,000 shekels for a really basic structure, and up to 100,000 shekels for something considerably more advanced. Many times after a demolition, a fundraising campaign is undertaken to rebuild what had been destroyed.

There are outposts that after many years are still subject to periodical demolitions, and there are those that are largely left intact. Though they are both illegal, Ma’oz Esther belongs to the former group and Havot Gil’ad belongs to the latter. The difference is in the factors previously mentioned.

One of the strategies used by Nachala is to continuously create a new frontier. Building new outposts causes the existing ones to be considered more established, and lowers their risk of demolition.

Life on the Outpost

The perseverance required means that only idealists take up the challenge. Once they are in, though, they stay for quality of life too. The lack of materialism, the connection to nature, the serenity, and the breathtaking views are hard to find elsewhere. Some idealism must stay because there always is a risk of the hardships of demolition and evacuation. Eli himself has moved from one outpost which suffered repeated demolitions, to another which is considered more established. It had gotten to a point where it was too much for his family to bear.

Traditionally, it has mostly been people from the Dati-Leumi (National Religious) sector that have been involved in this enterprise, though there is some interest from others as well, including recently from some Chareidim. Generally, the initial group forming an outpost is created by friends and acquaintances, or by people who were living in the nearby settlement, so these outposts are usually homogenous. There is generally an absorption committee made up of some residents, to make sure the people who want to join are normal and compatible with the outpost environment. An outpost typically consists of anywhere between one to fifty families.

I was surprised when Eli told me that most people living in outposts do not hold guns. I thought that this would be a requirement which would preclude most Chareidim from joining this enterprise, but apparently it isn’t. Each outpost does have someone constantly on guard though. Additionally, although the outposts are officially illegal, the army does generally provide security for Jews in these areas.

Almost everyone living on an outpost does have a car, though. Even if there is public transportation to the area, it is usually to an established legitimate settlement, and access from there to the outpost is only by private car. This may be an obstacle for many Chareidim, where car ownership is not very common due to heavy reliance on public transportation. Eli tells me that there are some outpost dwellers, like some young couples just starting out in life, who do not own cars, but they usually try to save up so that within a year or two they can afford one. This may not be so difficult because they are usually not paying rent. Meanwhile, they manage by getting rides from others.

The outposts rely a lot on the infrastructure of the nearby settlements. New outposts generally start with a water tank, but eventually, connection to water and electricity is usually willingly provided by the nearby settlement, facilitated by a good working connection between the local authorities and the management of the outposts. Some settlements even go out of their way to help the nearby outposts as much as possible. Shopping, education, and other services are usually available in the nearby settlement.

The people living in outposts are involved in all trades and practices, though there may be a bigger percentage involved in agriculture and construction. There are also mothers raising large families with children of all ages.

On Behalf of Klal Yisrael

Being that these outposts are considered illegal by the Israeli government (just for the record, by international law Modi’in Illit and Beitar Illit are also considered illegal), I was wondering if outpost residents are generally anti-establishment fringe elements of society, or if this illegal residency may otherwise cause people to be less law-abiding.

Eli explains, “The vast majority of people know to differentiate between the laws. They understand that what we are doing is with the backing of the Jewish nation, and that these are just political laws stemming from pressure coming from the gentiles. Of course, there are always some youth that think they can do whatever they want, but they eventually come to realize that normative rules and laws must be kept.”

There is a limit to the enforcement of laws which are not backed by the public. Eli relates that he has been taken in for interrogation about his illegal settlement activity, and they have all the information about him if they wanted to press charges, but they cannot do so from a public perspective. He says that is part of Nachala’s strategy – to ensure there is wide public backing for what they are doing. He says the greater the public backing –  even if just from the settlement population – the more difficult it is for the authorities to demolish and evict.

He notes that even the mainstream Leftists do not look at the settlers as lawless thugs just for the act of settling. They always try to find other things with which to portray settlers in a bad light.

Not minimizing their contribution to the effort to retain land in Jewish hands, Eli notes that the hilltop youth, who usually act alone and with less public backing, are sometimes apprehended and harassed by the authorities, He says that aside from minimizing risk, acting with public backing means the activities are done more authentically in the name and on behalf of the Jewish nation.

What Is It All About?

Up until about 20 years ago, the State of Israel still allowed Jews to establish hilltop communities all over Yehuda, Shomron, and Gaza, which was usually done with caravans. It was done by unwritten agreement as something in the national interest. Then the Americans started heavily pressuring the Israeli government to stop allowing this, and this caused a change in Israeli policy.

If they could have their way, the Arabs would have long ago taken over large swaths of land. In general, nobody is stopping them from building and expanding to their hearts’ content. It was recently discovered that the Arabs, with the generous help of the European Union, have devised a plan to inhabit all areas of Yehuda and Shomron currently unpopulated by Jews, by the year 2030. Unfortunately, the facts on the ground show that they are progressing as planned. If action is not taken now, it will chalilah be too late.

It is Nachala’s hope that the public action, awareness and backing will create enough political pressure on the government to change its policies and legally allow Jewish settlement.

What now?

With the technical guidance of Nachala, and the rabbinical guidance of Rav Refoel Kook shlita (son of Rav Simcha zt”l of Rechovot), the first Chareidi outpost – Derech Emunah – is being established, in a strategic area about 2 kilometers from the Chareidi yishuv of Meitzad.

We are doing the hishtadlus that we can, and for this we need as much public backing as we can get. That – is up to you!

With HaShem’s help, we will publicize periodical updates as this historic project unfolds.