Dangerous. Very, Very Dangerous.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008

IDF collecting settlers' weapons [JPost]

After more than 25 years of holding onto his IDF-issued gun, Moshe Grosberg was surprised to learn from the head of security in Ofra, the Samarian settlement where he lives, that he had to give it up.

"I haven't killed anyone with the weapon," said Grosberg, who notes that he lives close to Palestinian areas and needs the gun for protection when he walks or drives outside of the community.

Still, like 50 others in Ofra, he handed in his gun last week.

The measure is one of a number of changes that have settler leaders up in arms. In recent weeks, the IDF has collected army-issued weapons held by Israelis living in the West Bank, as well as caches of weapons held in storage in the settlements. It has also stopped providing bulletproof windows for settlers' cars.

IDF Collecting Reserve Guns, Supplies From Civil Response Teams [Israel National News]

Accordingly, the gun collection program excluded those weapons currently issued to local security personnel and to members of emergency response teams in the Judea and Samaria region, according to the IDF. However, residents of the towns in question said that it was now impossible to obtain any new guns, even for those who have been volunteering with community emergency response teams for weeks prior to the latest collection efforts.

Army spokespeople noted that the confiscated weapons are to remain in IDF reserve armories for the time being. In case of emergency, according to officials, the guns will be distributed among reservists who served in combat units during their military service.

But some security personnel in the affected communities expressed concern that they will be left with little defense at the same time that the government has ordered the removal of dozens of roadblocks and blockades designed to restrict travel by Arab terrorists.

Related Articles via the JPost:

Hamas Threatens to Breach Israeli Border

Syrian Official: We're Prepared for War

Iran begins installing 6,000 new centrifuges

via Israel National News:

Arabs Attack Drivers in Judea

Ramon Admits Security Fence Actually Partition Wall

Citizenry Emergency Drill Begins With Nationwide Sirens

The BBC did a news report on a group of religious Zionist teenagers in the West Bank, who literally stand their ground against IDF soldiers who are being ordered to evict them from "illegal" outposts. Unarmed with only their faith to defend them, these young people are forcibly carried away and detained (often for unusual lengths of time without being formally charged-- something the BBC neglected to mention) simply for defending what the Torah says. One young man, probably no more than 14 or 15, said to the reporter, "This land is ours. G-d gave it to us. They have no god; that is their problem."

No guns. Just faith. Pure and simple. This is what it has all boiled down to, which is ironic, since that's what it's all about in the first place.