IN THE SAME WEEK as PARSHAS TERUMAH: Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook: “ Betzalel was certainly sharp to be able to reconstruct the original divine message”
“The Midrash weaves many stories about Betzalel’s wisdom and skill. In particular, the Sages noted the significance of his name, which means, “in God’s shadow”: “Betzalel’s name reflected his wisdom” https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/367925
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Smotrich handed sweeping powers over West Bank, control over settlement planning
The head of the Yeshiva of Merkaz Rabbi Ali Smotrich: "Does with the wisdom of the heart and receives a divine siyata" During the lesson, Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, the head of the Merkaz Rabbi Yeshiva, praised the Minister of Finance for working on the state budget and settlement regulation. https://www.inn.co.il/news/593523
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s far-right government has granted approval for over 7,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, settlement backers and opponents said Thursday. The move defies growing international opposition to construction in the occupied territory. The announcement came just days after the U.N. Security Council passed a statement strongly criticizing Israeli settlement construction on occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians. […]
[…] Netanyahu’s new coalition, which took office in late December, is dominated by religious and ultranationalist politicians with close ties to the settlement movement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a firebrand settler leader, on Thursday was officially granted Cabinet-level authority over settlement policies.
[…] Yossi Dagan, a settler leader in the northern West Bank, welcomed the retroactive approval of 118 homes in “Nofei Nehemia,” an outpost in the northern West Bank, after a 20-year struggle. “Great news for Samaria, for settlement and for the entire nation of Israel,” he said, using the biblical name for the region.
Shlomo Neeman, chairman of the Yesha settler’s council, declared the approvals “a tremendous boost.” Neeman is also mayor of the “Gush Etzion” settlement bloc near Jerusalem, where settlers said hundreds of new homes were approved. The decision marks one of the largest approvals of settlement construction in years. In comparison, some 8,000 units were approved in the previous two years, according to Peace Now. “It’s very big,” said Amichai.
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Settlers now find their closest allies at the highest government levels with Netanyahu’s new coalition officially granting Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler leader, authority over settlement construction. https://vinnews.com/2023/02/23/israel-approves-over-7000-settlement-homes-groups-say/
Agreement will allow Religious Zionism head to entrench [expand] Israel’s West Bank presence and thwart Palestinian development, though caveats appear to preserve some authority for Gallant. https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-handed-sweeping-powers-over-west-bank-control-over-settlement-planning/
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