Israel´s largest religious youth movement calls upon members to take to streets. Secretary-general: We don´t have the strength to remain silent in the face of this moral and social injustice

Bnei Akiva is joining the struggle over the fate of Beit El´s Givat Ulpana neighborhood: The directorship of the largest religious youth movement in Israel has called upon its members to work to stop the planned evacuation, scheduled for July 1.

"Take to the streets and make your voices heard," reads an official message to Bnei Akiva members.

Bnei Akiva Secretary-General Danny Hirschberg explained the controversial call to take sides on a political issue: "We don´t have the strength to keep quiet in the face of the plan to destroy homes in our nation for no reason," he said. "We don´t have the strength to remain silent in the face of this social and moral injustice perpetrated against dear families who wanted to build homes in the Land of Israel, knowing they did so legally."

In his letter, the movement´s leader compared supporters of the Ulpana evacuation to the spies sent by Moses who denigrated the Promised Land and the opponents of the evacuation to the only two who loved Israel and praised it.

"No more destruction of homes and settlements in the Land of Israel," Hirschberg wrote. "No more injustice, immorality, and lack of democracy in the State of Israel. No more fanning the flames of divisiveness and hatred in the Jewish people."

Hirschberg stressed that the movement opposed any form of violent resistance. "We won´t hurt anyone, but we will rouse ourselves and by doing so rouse (everyone) in our state and our people… Heaven forbid we harm anyone – not by words and not by blows, not toward citizens who disagree with us and absolutely not toward members of the security forces charged with keeping law and order in the State of Israel."

Last month, the High Court of Justice ruled that five homes in the Givat Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El that had been constructed on private Palestinian land would be evacuated on July 1. Beit El Rabbi Zalman Melamed has called for armed resistance against the evacuation in light of the deadlock between the government and the residents, whom the state is trying to convince to leave voluntarily.

"This will be twice (as bad) as Amona," sources close to Melamed said.

Some on the Right have already designed a plan to fight the evacuation, and activists plan to block the operation by closing roads and throwing Molotov cocktails and paint-filled lightbulbs, as well as by burning tires and barricading themselves inside the homes. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 06/14/12)