Charedim Establish New West Bank Settlement in Gush Etzion

WEST BANK (VINnews) — A group of Charedi families has established a settlement outpost in the West Bank, near Gush Etzion.

At least 11 families currently reside in the outpost, named ‘Derech Emunah’ after a sefer written by Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky zt”l.

As many as 15 structures have been built at the site, including a makeshift shul and yeshiva, as well as homes.

Moshe Rotman, one of the founders, said the structures were built late Sunday night and within two and a half hours by the Charedi settlers, with the assistance of volunteer yeshiva bochurim.

The residents of Derech Emunah are mostly from nearby Metzad, as well as Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, and Beitar.

Mr. Rotman discussed why the group decided to build the settlement.

“The establishment of Derech Emunah is designed to increase awareness within the ultra-Orthodox community of the religious commandment of settling the land, as well as showing that the housing crisis in the community can be resolved through settlement construction in Judea and Samaria,” Rotman said.

He emphasized that the families in Derech Emunah are mainstream Charedim, including men who learned in Ponevezh and Hebron.

Rotman also said the outpost was built in protest of “selective enforcement” by the government against illegal construction in the territory.

Moshe David, coordinator of the outpost, said: “The settlement Derech Emunah was established on Sunday at midnight by Charedi families and yeshiva boys who volunteered to connect the members of the haredi community to the Land of Israel and as a protest against the apartheid policy that is carried out everywhere against Jews regarding the construction in the Jewish state. Baruch Hashem, there is a broad response from the Charedi public which surprised all the activists: apparently the issue of settling the land was burning in the public under the surface and we were just the trigger.”