Israeli Ambassador to the US on the unrest in Qusra: "A group of rioters is sowing destruction"

Israeli Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, addressed today, Friday, the violent events in Qusra and the phenomenon of violence by Israeli rioters, as part of remarks he made on the weekly Torah portion, Parshat Shoftim. The Ambassador emphasized that the commandment of settling the land is not limited to physical settlement, but also involves moral responsibility and upholding the law.

"What we saw this week in Qusra - this is not the meaning of the commandment of settling the land," the Ambassador said. "You may have heard many speaking about settling the Land of Israel. But the weekly portion, Parshat Shoftim, teaches us that this commandment has a deeper dimension."

In his remarks, he quoted the verse from the Book of Deuteronomy: "Judges and officers you shall appoint for yourself in all your gates which the Lord your God gives you for your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment."

According to him, establishing a judicial system and maintaining justice are an inseparable part of the commandment of settling the land. "In every city in the Land of Israel, there must be a judicial system that upholds righteous judgment - and the sages of Israel teach that this is an inseparable part of the mission of settling the land," he said.

"It is about much more than geography. Settling the land is not just building houses, cultivating the soil, and establishing communities. Jewish life in the Land of Israel carries with it a responsibility: to build a society based on justice, morality, and the rule of law."

Further on, the Ambassador referred to another verse in the portion: "Justice, justice you shall pursue, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God gives you." According to him, the verse expresses a direct link between the pursuit of justice and the right to inherit the land.

"It is impossible to settle the land through destabilizing and disruptive behavior, as my esteemed colleague, Ambassador Mike Huckabee, brilliantly phrased it when he spoke about 'troubling behavior'."

According to him, holding the land is not an end in itself. Our right to build a national home on it is tied to the responsibility to create a society worthy of that home.

In direct reference to the acts of violence, he said:

"When a group of rioters sows destruction with unjustified violence, diverts forces and resources from the IDF and Israel's law enforcement agencies, and at the same time claims to be acting for the sake of the land - this is a distortion of the idea of settling the land, and even a desecration of it."

He concluded his remarks by saying: "The Land of Israel is not just a place where we are commanded to dwell, it is a place where we are commanded to live according to justice."