Yisrael Gantz Speaks Out about Jews in Judea and Samaria
by Elisha Yered, commenting on
I condemn anyone who goes wild, but not those who defend themselves when the army is not functioning (Hebrew).
>אני מגנה כל אחד שמשתולל, אבל לא את מי שמגן על עצמו כשהצבא לא מתפקד
by Avigayil Zayit, Makor Rishon, dated 10/25/2026
Yisrael Gantz, head of the Yesha Council, shared some important—and, sadly, even courageous—remarks in an interview with Makor Rishon [two weekends ago]:
“I’ll let you in on a secret: something is bound to happen next weekend, too—that’s a known fact. I expect the security forces to stabilize the situation and ensure that anyone who makes a hostile move faces the consequences. But I cannot accept a reality where, when Jews are targeted and choose to defend themselves—even if they’re wearing a hoodie and carrying a club—they are the ones being condemned. I neither can nor will condemn someone for defending themselves.
Not enough proper law enforcement — what to do when attack is imminent?
“When the army and police fail to function and the local residents are left without protection, they are certainly not the ones who deserve condemnation. Frankly, we tire of issuing condemnations. We refuse to return to the days when Jews couldn’t leave their own communities, and we do not accept the [Oslo-era] division into Areas A, B, and C.”
“We must internalize that the tables have turned. Until recently, an Israeli wouldn’t dare step outside the community’s perimeter without a military escort; now, it is the Arabs who cannot move about wherever they please. This is a fundamental shift that has taken place throughout Judea and Samaria—and it is only natural to be glad that the fear has shifted to the other side.
We are NOT going back to “October Seventh”!
“The recent incidents surrounding the olive harvest are part of an attempt to turn back the clock to the time before October 7th. The era when Arabs controlled the territory—forcing us to rely on armed guards just to work our own land—is over.”
Elisha Yered says: The shoe is on the other foot.
Now, if they want to work the land, they need to request security and coordination. Wherever there is coordination with the army, no incidents occur—so why don’t they coordinate? Because, in their view, they are the owners of the land, and they are unwilling to accept the new reality. This olive harvest season is particularly volatile because they want to turn back the clock—and to that end, they have even enlisted the help of various anarchist organizations.
Telling a young Jewish man, “You must not raise a hand against Arabs—just call the IDF and let them do the job,” is, in many instances, both embarrassing and completely out of touch. The young man did call the army—he contacted the dispatch center—but 20 minutes passed, no forces arrived, and in the meantime, he and five of his friends had to somehow fend off a hostile Arab mob. Left with no other choice, he took action—and yes, at times, the way he did so wasn’t exactly “photogenic.”
Condemn me? I’ll move on with my life, thank you.
Then comes a wave of condemnations, which leads him to simply dismiss all those critics as “out of touch and irrelevant”—and he just moves on with his life. Once the leaders of the settlement movement learn to address these complexities—much like Gantz did in this interview—and engage directly with the reality and challenges on the ground, their other statements and the boundaries they set will be far better received.
Picture above translated with Google Lens
Posted November 1, 2026
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