The Uri Tzafon settlement movement responded Tuesday morning to the joint statement by the prime minister, defense minister, and IDF chief of staff, arguing the only way to secure northern residents is establishing Jewish settlements in the area the IDF cleared in southern Lebanon. The group said 'an army without settlement is like the Litani River without water' and called for a return to 'our ancestral inheritance in southern Lebanon,' according to the movement's statement.
The Uri Tzafon settlement movement released a statement Tuesday morning reacting to the joint communique issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi. The statement, obtained by The Zioneer, argues that a military presence alone is insufficient to secure northern Israel.
'The only option to ensure the security of the north's residents and the citizens of Israel is establishing flourishing Jewish settlement in every area the IDF cleared,' the group said. 'An army without settlement is like the Litani River without water. The time has come to return to our ancestral inheritance in southern Lebanon. Only settlement will bring security.'
The statement follows recent public debate over the IDF's posture in southern Lebanon. As The Zioneer reported earlier, the security establishment has repeatedly affirmed the IDF will maintain a security zone there. Several senior officials, including the prime minister and defense minister, have stated Israel will not withdraw. The settlement movement, however, argues the zone must be civilian, not merely military.
The movement's call does not represent official government policy, and no change in the IDF's operational framework in southern Lebanon has been announced. The army continues to operate under the security-zone model, destroying terror infrastructure and maintaining a military buffer, according to earlier official statements.
- DevelopingSettlement movement calls for civilian Jewish settlement in southern Lebanon after border infiltration
- StrongSettlement movement Nachala urges government to establish outposts in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza
- ConfirmedIDF spokesman orders evacuation of towns in southern Lebanon
- StrongIsrael demands demilitarization of south Lebanon and full operational freedom as condition for IDF withdrawal
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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