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Revision as of 18:30, 1 February 2006 by Dsol (talk | contribs) (says who?)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Yesha Council is the local government of Israeli settlers in "Yesha," a Hebrew acronym for Judea, Samaria, Gaza, which are otherwise referred to as the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The council was founded in the 1970s as the successor to Gush Emunim, an organization formed to oversee the return of Jewish settlers to what they see as their homeland. The Jewish population of the towns, cities, and villages that comprise Yesha stands at around 225,000.
The council consists of 25 democratically elected mayors and ten community leaders. Its mandate is to provide security: for example, by arranging for the acquisition of bullet-proof ambulances and buses; to oversee improvements to the infrastructure, like roads, electricity, and water supplies; and to act as domestic and international emissaries on behalf of residents.
In addition to municipal and security cares the council serves a political representive of the settlers and a lobby for their cause. It lobbies their interest in the Knesset and the government and is in charge of public relations campaigns and grass root protests when needed.
In 2005, it led the settlers' 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, but was criticized by the right for failing to prevent the disengagement.
In late 2005, there have been calls, since due to the political 'big bang' in Israel and intentions from the left to concede land to the Palestinians, that Yesha may declare all the settlements in Judea and Samaria as independent within a defined de-facto state called the 'State of Judea'. It is said that Ariel will become the capital of the second Jewish state.
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