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| The '''Yesha Council''' ({{lang-he|מועצת יש"ע}}, ''Mo'etzet Yesha'' |
The '''Yesha Council''' ({{lang-he|מועצת יש"ע}}, ''Mo'etzet Yesha'') is an umbrella organization of municipal councils of ] in the ] (and formerly in the ]), known by the ] acronym ]. {{as of|2024}} the chairman of the Yesha Council is Israel Ganz, and Omer Rahamim is CEO. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| The council was founded in the |
The council was founded in the 1980s<ref name=about/> as the successor to ] ("Bloc of the Faithful"),<ref name=jvl>{{cite web |title=Yesha Council |website=] |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/yesha-council |access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref> an organization formed to promote Jewish settlement in the ] and ], which they regarded as the return of Jews to their Biblical homeland,<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 July 2005|title=שאלת תם מה זה מועצת יש"ע? - וואלה! חדשות|url=https://news.walla.co.il/item/748187|access-date=21 December 2021|website=וואלה!|language=he}}</ref> representing municipalities with a combined population of around half a million.<ref>{{Cite web|last=פורשר|first=אפרת|title=המהפך הדמוגרפי של יהודה ושומרון|url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/article/730075|access-date=21 December 2021|website=]|quote=בסך הכל מונה אוכלוסיית יש"ע בשנת 2019 463,901 תושבים אשר מתגוררים ב־150 יישובים.}}</ref> | ||
| The name of the organization, "Mo'etzet Yesha", is the Hebrew acronym for '''Ye'''huda '''Sh'''omron, '''A'''za ( (Judea, Samaria, Gaza).<ref name=hazon2019>{{cite web |last=Ḥazon |first=Brit |title=The Yesha Council Leadership Misses the Larger Struggle |website=VISION |date=26 September 2019 |url=https://visionmag.org/yesha-council-leadership-misses-larger-struggle/ |access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref><ref name=melson2004>{{cite web |title=What is the Yesha Council? |first= Richard |last= Melson |date= September 2004 |website=New Page 2 |url=http://www.cambridgeforecast.org/richard863/MIDDLEEAST/YESHA.html |access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In addition to municipal and security issues, the Council serves as the political arm of the Jewish residents of Yesha.<ref name="jta.org">{{Cite web |date=21 September 2010 |title=With wineries and tourism, settlers try to rebrand settlements for Israeli public |url=https://www.jta.org/2010/09/21/lifestyle/with-wineries-and-tourism-settlers-try-to-rebrand-settlements-for-israeli-public |access-date=21 December 2021 |publisher=]|language=en-US}}</ref> The Council lobbies for their interests with the ] and the government. |
||
| Yeshe Council's resettlement policy was criticised by the 2005 ], an official Israeli government report commissioned by the Prime Minister ]. The report found that settlers had constructed 105 illegal outposts, over half of which were built on land that did not belong to the state, in collusion with government ministries and other public bodies.<ref>{{cite web |last=Izenberg |first=Dan |title=Yesha calls for investigation of Sasson Report |website= ]|format=text + video |date=27 December 2005 |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel/yesha-calls-for-investigation-of-sasson-report |access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref><ref name=un2012>{{cite web |title=Israeli government challenges the law to embrace illegal settler outposts |website=Question of Palestine| publisher=United Nations |date= 14 May 2012 |url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-200715/ |access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | ==Activism== | ||
| ⚫ | === Protest Campaign === | ||
| ⚫ | In 2005 the Council led the protest campaign against the ] with peaceful mass protests: the ] of 130,000, the ] march of 50,000, the ] rally of 70,000, and the ] rally of 200,000. The council was praised by centrists for refraining from the use of violence—although some right-wing activists did resort to violence. It was also criticized by the right for failing to prevent the disengagement. | ||
| In 2012, ] reported that the Yesha Council, along with the regional councils, were focusing more on advocacy. Among other activities, they arranged talks by politicians, and aimed to attract Israelis to the settlements through tourism and volunteering.<ref name=un2012/> | |||
| ⚫ | ===Rejection of violence=== | ||
| ⚫ | In 2009, council chairman ] said that settlers must not use violence to advance their means. He said that such actions were "]" and only serve to "hinder the settlers' struggle."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Yesha-Council-chair-Dayan-condemns-recent-settler-violence|title=Yesha Council chair Dayan condemns recent settler violence|website=]|date=8 December 2009}}</ref> | ||
| In 2019, Yesha Council was presided over by chairman Hananel Dorani and CEO Yigal Dilmoni. They planned to double the Jewish population of "Judea and Samaria" (then 450,000) to a million, within ten years: ''Hazon Ha-Million'' – the "vision of one million".<ref name=rosenbaum2019/> Dorani believes that they need to "fight for full Israeli independence from the United States", so that foreign leaders are not able to influence Israeli policies with regard to the settler communities in the West Bank.<ref name=hazon2019/> | |||
| ⚫ | ===Misplaced Pages editing course=== | ||
| ⚫ | {{Undue weight|date=July 2017}} | ||
| ⚫ | On 3 August 2010, it was reported that the Yesha Council together with ], a network of online pro-Israel activists committed to spreading Zionism online, were organizing people at a workshop in ] to teach them how to edit ] articles in a pro-Israeli way.<ref name="sheva" /><ref name=Haaretz1/><ref name=Guardian>{{Cite news|title=Misplaced Pages editing courses launched by Zionist groups|author=Rachel Shabi, Jemima Kiss|newspaper=The Guardian|date=18 August 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/18/wikipedia-editing-zionist-groups}}</ref> Around 50 people took part in the course.<ref name=Haaretz1>{{Cite news|title=The right's latest weapon: 'Zionist editing' on Misplaced Pages |first=Nir |last=Hasson|newspaper=Haaretz|date=18 August 2010|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/the-right-s-latest-weapon-zionist-editing-on-wikipedia-1.308667}}</ref> | ||
| In May 2023, Yesha reported that by October 2022 over half a million Israeli settlers were living in the West Bank, which comprised 5.2 percent of the total population of Israel. The growth rate of the settler population was around 2.2% in 2022, with 10,755 Israelis moving to West Bank communities. The settlers are overseen by the military and the ], as this territory is not officially a part of Israel.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fabian |first=Emanuel |last2=Fabian |first2=Emanuel |title=Yesha settler umbrella group says over half a million Israelis live in West Bank |website=The Times of Israel |date=12 May 2023 |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/yesha-settler-umbrella-group-says-over-half-a-million-israelis-live-in-west-bank/ |access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | "We don't want to change Misplaced Pages or turn it into a propaganda arm," commented ], director of the Yesha Council. "We just want to show the other side. People think that Israelis are mean, evil people who only want to hurt Arabs all day."<ref name="ynet">{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3944937,00.html|title=The battle for Misplaced Pages: Palestinians counter Israeli editing group|date=28 August 2010|website=]}}</ref> "The idea is not to make Misplaced Pages rightist but for it to include our point of view," he said in another interview.<ref name=Haaretz1/> | ||
| ==Aims and description== | |||
| ⚫ | The project organiser, ] was interviewed on ]. She emphasized that the information has to be reliable and meet Misplaced Pages rules. She cited some examples such as the use of the term "occupation" in Misplaced Pages entries, as well as in the editing of entries that link Israel with ] and ].<ref name="sheva">{{Cite news| last=Benari | first=Elad | title=Zionist Internet Struggle to Hit Misplaced Pages | url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138917 | publisher=Arutz Sheva | date=3 August 2010 | access-date=18 August 2010 }}</ref> | ||
| The stated aims of the Yesha Council are "to promote Israeli communities in ], ]{{efn|The West Bank<ref name=un2012/>}} and the ] as the heart of the ] and the birthplace of the ] and its heritage".<ref name=about/> They want to see Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank.<ref name=rosenbaum2019/> | |||
| Their stated strategic objectives are:<ref name=about/>{{blockquote| | |||
| ⚫ | A course participant explained that the course is not a "Zionist conspiracy to take over Misplaced Pages"; rather, it is an attempt to balance information about disputed issues presented in the online encyclopedia. <blockquote>he goal of this workshop was to train a number of pro-Israelis how to edit Misplaced Pages so that more people could present the Israeli side of things, and thus the content would be more balanced... Misplaced Pages is meant to be a fair and balanced source, and it is that way by having people from all across the spectrum contributing to the content.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/readers-discuss-wikipedia-editing-course-that-aims-for-balanced-and-zionist-entries/|title=Readers Discuss Misplaced Pages Editing Course That Aims for 'Balanced and Zionist' Entries|website=]|author=Robert Mackey|date=2010-08-23}}</ref></blockquote> Another participant was not positive about the publication of the initiative, warning that going public in past occasions has had a bad effect, and recommending that the initiative would be better taken underground.<ref name=Guardian/> | ||
| * To secure the borders of the State of Israel | |||
| * To safeguard Israel's strategic expanses–between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea | |||
| * To ensure Israel's right to the Land by strengthening Israeli settlement in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley}} | |||
| The Council aims to assert Israeli sovereignty, to develop transport and other infrastructure, to increase tourism from all over the world, and "to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea". It also aims to create master plans for the whole area.<ref name=about/> | |||
| ⚫ | Following the course announcement, the head of Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said there were plans to set up a counter group to ensure the Palestinian view is presented online as the "next regional war will be media war."<ref name="ynet"/> | ||
| ⚫ | In addition to municipal and security issues, the Council serves as the political arm of the Jewish residents of Yesha.<ref name="jta.org">{{Cite web |date=21 September 2010 |title=With wineries and tourism, settlers try to rebrand settlements for Israeli public |url=https://www.jta.org/2010/09/21/lifestyle/with-wineries-and-tourism-settlers-try-to-rebrand-settlements-for-israeli-public |access-date=21 December 2021 |publisher=]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=about/> The Council lobbies for their interests with the ] and the government.<ref name=about/> It also carries on public relations campaigns for the settlements and organizes public protests.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Settlers, Palestinians dream of joint Hebron hotel at kosher Iftar feast|url=https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/settlers-palestinians-dream-of-joint-hebron-hotel-at-kosher-iftar-feast-665892|access-date=21 December 2021|website=]|language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | In 2011, Misplaced Pages co-founder ] stated in retrospect about the course organized by Israel Sheli, "we saw absolutely no impact from that effort whatsoever. I don't think it ever – it was in the press but we never saw any impact."<ref name="Haaretz2">{{cite news|author=Aliyana Traison|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/wikipedia-founder-israel-palestine-is-heavily-debated-but-we-re-vigilant-on-neutrality-1.377207|title=Misplaced Pages founder: Israel-Palestine is heavily debated, but we're vigilant on neutrality|website=]|date=5 August 2011}}</ref> Wales, who himself is a supporter of Israel, insists on neutrality when editing articles related to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<ref name="Haaretz2"/> At a speech at Tel Aviv University when accepting his ] in May 2015, Wales insisted to avoid conflicts of interest is to provide as many facts as possible while maintaining neutrality, aiming to overwhelm any chance of bias and imbuing political ideology. Wales also stated that editors have to present what all sides have said and ultimately leave it to the reader to make their own judgments and have their own opinions regarding the conflict.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/wikipedia-founder-jimmy-wales-likes-israel-but-stays-neutral/|title=Misplaced Pages founder Jimmy Wales likes Israel but stays neutral|last=Sales|first=Ben|date=19 May 2015|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=25 August 2015}}</ref> | ||
| == Governance and organisation == | |||
| The Yesha Council's headquarters are in the ] neighbourhood of ].<ref name=rosenbaum2019>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Alan |title=The Yesha Council’s Vision for the Future |website= The Jerusalem Post |date=13 February 2019 |url=https://www.jpost.com/magazine/the-yesha-councils-vision-for-the-future-580576 |access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref> | |||
| The Yesha Council consists of 24 elected mayors who represent ] with an Israeli population of around 500,000 people,<ref name=about>{{cite web |title=About Us |website= The Yesha Council |url=https://myesha.org.il/?CategoryID=419 |access-date=3 October 2024}}</ref> and is headed by an elected chairman. | |||
| ⚫ | Israel Ganz was elected chairman in May 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sharon|first=Jeremy|title=Settlements council elects Israel Ganz as next chairman |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/settlements-council-elects-israel-ganz-as-next-chairman/ |date=6 May 2024|access-date=6 July 2024|website=]|language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
| Omer Rahamim was appointed CEO in June 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Omer Rahamim appointed new Yesha Council CEO|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/391808|access-date=6 July 2024|date=20 June 2024|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| == Heads of the Yesha Council == | |||
| {| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
| |+ | |+ | ||
| Line 70: | Line 74: | ||
| |Mayor of ] | |Mayor of ] | ||
| |- | |- | ||
| |Benzi Lieberman | |Benzi Lieberman<ref name=melson2004/> | ||
| |2002–2007 | |2002–2007 | ||
| |Head of the ] | |Head of the ] | ||
| Line 78: | Line 82: | ||
| |Head of the ] and later ] of Israel in New York and ] chairman | |Head of the ] and later ] of Israel in New York and ] chairman | ||
| |- | |- | ||
| |Hananel Dorani | |Hananel Dorani<ref name=rosenbaum2019/> | ||
| |2017–2019 | |2017–2019 | ||
| |Chairman of the Kedumim Regional Council | |Chairman of the Kedumim Regional Council | ||
| Line 94: | Line 98: | ||
| |Head of the ] | |Head of the ] | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| ⚫ | ==Activism== | ||
| ⚫ | === Protest Campaign === | ||
| ⚫ | In 2005 the Council led the protest campaign against the ] with peaceful mass protests: the ] of 130,000, the ] march of 50,000, the ] rally of 70,000, and the ] rally of 200,000. The council was praised by centrists for refraining from the use of violence—although some right-wing activists did resort to violence. It was also criticized by the right for failing to prevent the disengagement. | ||
| ⚫ | ===Rejection of violence=== | ||
| ⚫ | In 2009, council chairman ] said that settlers must not use violence to advance their means. He said that such actions were "]" and only serve to "hinder the settlers' struggle."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Yesha-Council-chair-Dayan-condemns-recent-settler-violence|title=Yesha Council chair Dayan condemns recent settler violence|website=]|date=8 December 2009}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ===Misplaced Pages editing course=== | ||
| ⚫ | {{Undue weight|date=July 2017}} | ||
| ⚫ | On 3 August 2010, it was reported that the Yesha Council together with ], a network of online pro-Israel activists committed to spreading Zionism online, were organizing people at a workshop in ] to teach them how to edit ] articles in a pro-Israeli way.<ref name="sheva" /><ref name=Haaretz1/><ref name=Guardian>{{Cite news|title=Misplaced Pages editing courses launched by Zionist groups|author=Rachel Shabi, Jemima Kiss|newspaper=The Guardian|date=18 August 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/18/wikipedia-editing-zionist-groups}}</ref> Around 50 people took part in the course.<ref name=Haaretz1>{{Cite news|title=The right's latest weapon: 'Zionist editing' on Misplaced Pages |first=Nir |last=Hasson|newspaper=Haaretz|date=18 August 2010|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/the-right-s-latest-weapon-zionist-editing-on-wikipedia-1.308667}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | "We don't want to change Misplaced Pages or turn it into a propaganda arm," commented ], director of the Yesha Council. "We just want to show the other side. People think that Israelis are mean, evil people who only want to hurt Arabs all day."<ref name="ynet">{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3944937,00.html|title=The battle for Misplaced Pages: Palestinians counter Israeli editing group|date=28 August 2010|website=]}}</ref> "The idea is not to make Misplaced Pages rightist but for it to include our point of view," he said in another interview.<ref name=Haaretz1/> | ||
| ⚫ | The project organiser, ] was interviewed on ]. She emphasized that the information has to be reliable and meet Misplaced Pages rules. She cited some examples such as the use of the term "occupation" in Misplaced Pages entries, as well as in the editing of entries that link Israel with ] and ].<ref name="sheva">{{Cite news| last=Benari | first=Elad | title=Zionist Internet Struggle to Hit Misplaced Pages | url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138917 | publisher=Arutz Sheva | date=3 August 2010 | access-date=18 August 2010 }}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | A course participant explained that the course is not a "Zionist conspiracy to take over Misplaced Pages"; rather, it is an attempt to balance information about disputed issues presented in the online encyclopedia. <blockquote>he goal of this workshop was to train a number of pro-Israelis how to edit Misplaced Pages so that more people could present the Israeli side of things, and thus the content would be more balanced... Misplaced Pages is meant to be a fair and balanced source, and it is that way by having people from all across the spectrum contributing to the content.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/readers-discuss-wikipedia-editing-course-that-aims-for-balanced-and-zionist-entries/|title=Readers Discuss Misplaced Pages Editing Course That Aims for 'Balanced and Zionist' Entries|website=]|author=Robert Mackey|date=2010-08-23}}</ref></blockquote> Another participant was not positive about the publication of the initiative, warning that going public in past occasions has had a bad effect, and recommending that the initiative would be better taken underground.<ref name=Guardian/> | ||
| ⚫ | Following the course announcement, the head of Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said there were plans to set up a counter group to ensure the Palestinian view is presented online as the "next regional war will be media war."<ref name="ynet"/> | ||
| ⚫ | In 2011, Misplaced Pages co-founder ] stated in retrospect about the course organized by Israel Sheli, "we saw absolutely no impact from that effort whatsoever. I don't think it ever – it was in the press but we never saw any impact."<ref name="Haaretz2">{{cite news|author=Aliyana Traison|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/wikipedia-founder-israel-palestine-is-heavily-debated-but-we-re-vigilant-on-neutrality-1.377207|title=Misplaced Pages founder: Israel-Palestine is heavily debated, but we're vigilant on neutrality|website=]|date=5 August 2011}}</ref> Wales, who himself is a supporter of Israel, insists on neutrality when editing articles related to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<ref name="Haaretz2"/> At a speech at Tel Aviv University when accepting his ] in May 2015, Wales insisted to avoid conflicts of interest is to provide as many facts as possible while maintaining neutrality, aiming to overwhelm any chance of bias and imbuing political ideology. Wales also stated that editors have to present what all sides have said and ultimately leave it to the reader to make their own judgments and have their own opinions regarding the conflict.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/wikipedia-founder-jimmy-wales-likes-israel-but-stays-neutral/|title=Misplaced Pages founder Jimmy Wales likes Israel but stays neutral|last=Sales|first=Ben|date=19 May 2015|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=25 August 2015}}</ref> | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 100: | Line 124: | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| ==Footnotes== | |||
| {{notelist}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 01:03, 4 October 2024
Group of councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank
| מועצת יש"ע | |
 | |
| Named after | Yesha |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Gush Emunim |
| Formation | 24 December 1980; 44 years ago (1980-12-24) |
| Founder | Yisrael Harel [he] |
| Headquarters | Sha'ar Binyamin Industrial Zone |
| Region | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Chairman | Israel Ganz [he] |
| CEO | Omer Rahamim |
| Affiliations | Amana |
| Website | www |
The Yesha Council (Template:Lang-he, Mo'etzet Yesha) is an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank (and formerly in the Gaza Strip), known by the Hebrew acronym Yesha. As of 2024 the chairman of the Yesha Council is Israel Ganz, and Omer Rahamim is CEO.
History
The council was founded in the 1980s as the successor to Gush Emunim ("Bloc of the Faithful"), an organization formed to promote Jewish settlement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which they regarded as the return of Jews to their Biblical homeland, representing municipalities with a combined population of around half a million.
The name of the organization, "Mo'etzet Yesha", is the Hebrew acronym for Yehuda Shomron, Aza ( (Judea, Samaria, Gaza).
Yeshe Council's resettlement policy was criticised by the 2005 Sasson Report, an official Israeli government report commissioned by the Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The report found that settlers had constructed 105 illegal outposts, over half of which were built on land that did not belong to the state, in collusion with government ministries and other public bodies.
In 2012, IRIN News reported that the Yesha Council, along with the regional councils, were focusing more on advocacy. Among other activities, they arranged talks by politicians, and aimed to attract Israelis to the settlements through tourism and volunteering.
In 2019, Yesha Council was presided over by chairman Hananel Dorani and CEO Yigal Dilmoni. They planned to double the Jewish population of "Judea and Samaria" (then 450,000) to a million, within ten years: Hazon Ha-Million – the "vision of one million". Dorani believes that they need to "fight for full Israeli independence from the United States", so that foreign leaders are not able to influence Israeli policies with regard to the settler communities in the West Bank.
In May 2023, Yesha reported that by October 2022 over half a million Israeli settlers were living in the West Bank, which comprised 5.2 percent of the total population of Israel. The growth rate of the settler population was around 2.2% in 2022, with 10,755 Israelis moving to West Bank communities. The settlers are overseen by the military and the Defense Ministry, as this territory is not officially a part of Israel.
Aims and description
The stated aims of the Yesha Council are "to promote Israeli communities in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley as the heart of the Bible Land and the birthplace of the Jewish people and its heritage". They want to see Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank.
Their stated strategic objectives are:
- To secure the borders of the State of Israel
- To safeguard Israel's strategic expanses–between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea
- To ensure Israel's right to the Land by strengthening Israeli settlement in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley
The Council aims to assert Israeli sovereignty, to develop transport and other infrastructure, to increase tourism from all over the world, and "to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea". It also aims to create master plans for the whole area.
In addition to municipal and security issues, the Council serves as the political arm of the Jewish residents of Yesha. The Council lobbies for their interests with the Knesset and the government. It also carries on public relations campaigns for the settlements and organizes public protests.
Governance and organisation
The Yesha Council's headquarters are in the Ramat Eshkol neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
The Yesha Council consists of 24 elected mayors who represent municipalities with an Israeli population of around 500,000 people, and is headed by an elected chairman. Israel Ganz was elected chairman in May 2024.
Omer Rahamim was appointed CEO in June 2024.
| Name | Dates in office | Other Public Positions |
|---|---|---|
| Israel Harel | 1980–1995 | Founder of the Yesha Council, founder of Institute for Zionist Strategies |
| Pinchas Wallerstein | 1995–1999 | Head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council |
| Benny Kashriel | 1999–2001 | Mayor of Ma'ale Adumim |
| Benzi Lieberman | 2002–2007 | Head of the Samaria Regional Council |
| Dani Dayan | 2013–2017 | Head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council and later Consul General of Israel in New York and Yad Vashem chairman |
| Hananel Dorani | 2017–2019 | Chairman of the Kedumim Regional Council |
| David Elhayani | 2019–2022 | Head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council |
| Shlomo Ne’eman | 2022–2024 | Head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council |
| Israel Ganz | 2024– | Head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council |
Activism
Protest Campaign
In 2005 the Council led the protest campaign against the disengagement plan with peaceful mass protests: the human chain of 130,000, the Kfar Maimon march of 50,000, the Kotel rally of 70,000, and the Tel Aviv rally of 200,000. The council was praised by centrists for refraining from the use of violence—although some right-wing activists did resort to violence. It was also criticized by the right for failing to prevent the disengagement.
Rejection of violence
In 2009, council chairman Dani Dayan said that settlers must not use violence to advance their means. He said that such actions were "morally bankrupt" and only serve to "hinder the settlers' struggle."
Misplaced Pages editing course
 | This article may lend undue weight to certain ideas, incidents, or controversies. Please help improve it by rewriting it in a balanced fashion that contextualizes different points of view. (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
On 3 August 2010, it was reported that the Yesha Council together with My Israel, a network of online pro-Israel activists committed to spreading Zionism online, were organizing people at a workshop in Jerusalem to teach them how to edit Misplaced Pages articles in a pro-Israeli way. Around 50 people took part in the course.
"We don't want to change Misplaced Pages or turn it into a propaganda arm," commented Naftali Bennett, director of the Yesha Council. "We just want to show the other side. People think that Israelis are mean, evil people who only want to hurt Arabs all day." "The idea is not to make Misplaced Pages rightist but for it to include our point of view," he said in another interview.
The project organiser, Ayelet Shaked was interviewed on Arutz Sheva Radio. She emphasized that the information has to be reliable and meet Misplaced Pages rules. She cited some examples such as the use of the term "occupation" in Misplaced Pages entries, as well as in the editing of entries that link Israel with Judea and Samaria and Jewish history.
A course participant explained that the course is not a "Zionist conspiracy to take over Misplaced Pages"; rather, it is an attempt to balance information about disputed issues presented in the online encyclopedia.
he goal of this workshop was to train a number of pro-Israelis how to edit Misplaced Pages so that more people could present the Israeli side of things, and thus the content would be more balanced... Misplaced Pages is meant to be a fair and balanced source, and it is that way by having people from all across the spectrum contributing to the content.
Another participant was not positive about the publication of the initiative, warning that going public in past occasions has had a bad effect, and recommending that the initiative would be better taken underground.
Following the course announcement, the head of Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said there were plans to set up a counter group to ensure the Palestinian view is presented online as the "next regional war will be media war."
In 2011, Misplaced Pages co-founder Jimmy Wales stated in retrospect about the course organized by Israel Sheli, "we saw absolutely no impact from that effort whatsoever. I don't think it ever – it was in the press but we never saw any impact." Wales, who himself is a supporter of Israel, insists on neutrality when editing articles related to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At a speech at Tel Aviv University when accepting his Dan David Prize in May 2015, Wales insisted to avoid conflicts of interest is to provide as many facts as possible while maintaining neutrality, aiming to overwhelm any chance of bias and imbuing political ideology. Wales also stated that editors have to present what all sides have said and ultimately leave it to the reader to make their own judgments and have their own opinions regarding the conflict.
See also
- Israeli Civil Administration
- Israeli settlement
- Judea and Samaria Area
- Population statistics for Israeli West Bank settlements
Footnotes
- The West Bank
References
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- "Yesha Council". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- "שאלת תם מה זה מועצת יש"ע? - וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 18 July 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- פורשר, אפרת. "המהפך הדמוגרפי של יהודה ושומרון". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
בסך הכל מונה אוכלוסיית יש"ע בשנת 2019 463,901 תושבים אשר מתגוררים ב־150 יישובים.
- ^ Ḥazon, Brit (26 September 2019). "The Yesha Council Leadership Misses the Larger Struggle". VISION. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ Melson, Richard (September 2004). "What is the Yesha Council?". New Page 2. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- Izenberg, Dan (27 December 2005). "Yesha calls for investigation of Sasson Report" (text + video). The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Israeli government challenges the law to embrace illegal settler outposts". Question of Palestine. United Nations. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ Rosenbaum, Alan (13 February 2019). "The Yesha Council's Vision for the Future". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- Fabian, Emanuel; Fabian, Emanuel (12 May 2023). "Yesha settler umbrella group says over half a million Israelis live in West Bank". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- "With wineries and tourism, settlers try to rebrand settlements for Israeli public". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- "Settlers, Palestinians dream of joint Hebron hotel at kosher Iftar feast". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Sharon, Jeremy (6 May 2024). "Settlements council elects Israel Ganz as next chairman". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- "Omer Rahamim appointed new Yesha Council CEO". Arutz Sheva. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- "Yesha Council chair Dayan condemns recent settler violence". The Jerusalem Post. 8 December 2009.
- ^ Benari, Elad (3 August 2010). "Zionist Internet Struggle to Hit Misplaced Pages". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- ^ Hasson, Nir (18 August 2010). "The right's latest weapon: 'Zionist editing' on Misplaced Pages". Haaretz.
- ^ Rachel Shabi, Jemima Kiss (18 August 2010). "Misplaced Pages editing courses launched by Zionist groups". The Guardian.
- ^ "The battle for Misplaced Pages: Palestinians counter Israeli editing group". Ynetnews. 28 August 2010.
- Robert Mackey (23 August 2010). "Readers Discuss Misplaced Pages Editing Course That Aims for 'Balanced and Zionist' Entries". The New York Times.
- ^ Aliyana Traison (5 August 2011). "Misplaced Pages founder: Israel-Palestine is heavily debated, but we're vigilant on neutrality". Haaretz.
- Sales, Ben (19 May 2015). "Misplaced Pages founder Jimmy Wales likes Israel but stays neutral". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
External links
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