Rift In Netanyahu Coalition After Civil Administration Uproots Shilo Orchard Despite Smotrich Demanding Freeze

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A major rift erupted in the Netanyahu-led coalition after the Civil Administration for Judea and Samaria, officially still under the authority of Defense Minister Gallant, uprooted a Jewish-owned orchard and olive grove in the plains of Shilo. The uprooting came despite the specific instructions of Betzalel Smotrich, who is a minister in the Defense Ministry and is supposed to receive authority over the Civil Administration according to the coalition agreements.

Smotrich had ordered a freeze on the demolition but Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) countermanded Smotrich’s orders, instructing the Civil Administration to move forward with the demolition.

Dozens of yeshiva and seminary students gathered at the olive grove and fruit orchard, owned by Hen Ben-Eliyahu and located in the Shilo Valley, in an attempt to prevent the demolition.

Roughly 40 protesters have been detained by police thus far, the Honenu organization reported.

“It is unbelievable that a fully right-wing government would do this,” the Ben-Eliyahu family said Wednesday. “Twenty years worth of work was undone in one moment, and there is no one to halt this injustice. We call on all government ministers to stop this and to come here.”

Two members of the government, MK Limor Son-Har-Melech and MK Tzvi Sukkot, had attempted to stop the demolition using their Knesset immunity but were prevented by police from intervening. Sukkot said that “the orchard should not have been uprooted as the appeals committee in the Civil Administration said that it shouldn’t be demolished. Despite this, the head of the administration did not abide by the committee and decided to uproot it. We call on the prime minister and minister Gallant to uphold the coalition agreements and stop this evil evacuation.”

Despite her being an MK, Son Har-Melech was surrounded by police in a way which she described as “humiliating and sexually intimidating” and was not allowed to demonstrate against the uprooting.

בניגוד לחוק החסינות בפינוי המטעים בגוש שילה שוטרי מג"ב תועדו חוסמים בגופם את חברת הכנסת מהקואליציה לימור סון הר מלך, לפי התיעוד זה נראה שהשוטרים נזהרים ויודעים שזה בניגוד לחוק ומחפשים תרוצים pic.twitter.com/Xwfb5bF6B3

— חיים גולדברג (@haim_goldberg) February 15, 2023

The Civil Administration has accused the Ben-Eliyahau family of seizing farm land in the Shilo Valley without authorization, citing court rulings ordering the family to uproot its orchard. However the orders are based on an ordinance used by the Supreme Court specifically against Jewish settlers, while Palestinians who build and plant illegally have not been targeted by the courts, leading the right-wing parties to complain of discriminatory application of the rules.

The razing of the outpost heightened tensions between Smotrich and Gallant within the Netanyahu government, and led to a boycott of the government by Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party.

During Wednesday morning’s demolition, Smotrich fired off a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning him that further delays in implementing the transfer of the Civil Administration could threaten the future of the government.

“About a month ago, as Minister in the Defense Ministry appointed to oversee the Civil Administration and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, I instructed that the order against Hen Ben-Eliyahu be nullified immediately.”

“But much to my surprise, the Defense Minister brazenly violated the coalition agreement and overruled my decision.”

“Minister Gallant has decided to continue the left-wing policies of former minister Benny Gantz and to destroy orchards, even though the claims against this orchard were proven in court hearings to be false.”

Smotrich went on to demand that authority over the Civil Administration be transferred to his office “today.”

Netanyahu eventually ordered Gallant to stop the demolition but only after most of the orchard was destroyed. The defense establishment is concerned that Smotrich, as finance minister, will use his influence to delay budgets for defense purposes due to his rift with Gallant.