Nadene Goldfoot
Bezalel Smotrich was born on February 27, 1980 in Haspin a religious Israeli settlement in the Golan Heights. That makes him 42 years old. The modern Haspin was established in 1978 at the site of the abandoned village Khisfin (Arabic: خسفين). During G. Schumacher's visit to the village in 1883, it was inhabited by about 270 souls, living in some 60 huts. Three-fourths of the village already lay waste or deserted. Haspin now falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the Golan Regional Council. In 2019 the village had a population of 2,055. Yeshivat HaGolan, a Hesder Yeshiva is located in the town.
Likud has cancelled all meetings with potential coalition partners today after a contentious meeting between Prime Minister elect Netanyahu and Religious Zionism leader Smotrich, in which Netanyahu reportedly rejected Smotrich's demand to be appointed Defense Minister in the new government. He also refused to give Smotrich the Finance Ministry, his 2nd choice, since that is most likely earmarked for Shas leader Aryeh Deri. Netanyahu reportedly told Smotrich that the government would need to act with moderation on diplomatic and security issues, at least until the end of the Biden administration. Smotrich is threatening not to join in the coalition if his demands are not met. Netanyahu cannot form a government without Religious Zionism's 14 seats.
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I had lived in Safed from 1981 to the end of 1985. The bus journey time between Safed and Golan Heights today is around 1hr 13minutes and covers a distance of around 28 miles. This includes an average layover time of around 36 min. Operated by Nateeve Express, Golan and Egged, the Safed to Golan Heights bus service departs from South Tsfat Junction/Industrial Area and arrives in Sa'ar Camp. Typically 154 buses run weekly, although weekend and holiday schedules can vary so check in advance.
The area later became part of the French Mandate in Syria and the State of Damascus. When the mandate terminated in 1946, it became part of the newly independent Syrian Arab Republic. By the late-19th century, the Golan Heights was inhabited mostly by colonized peasants (fellaḥîn), Bedouin Arabs, Druze, Turkmen, and Circassians.s
Jewish history: After Assyrian and Babylonian rule, the region came under the domination of Persia, following which Jews were freed from Babylonian captivity and allowed to return and resettle in the land in 538 BCE. The Itureans, an Arab or Aramaic people, settled in the area in the 2nd century BCE. In the 16th century, the Golan was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. "In 105 BCE, Aristobulus I campaigned against Iturea, and added a great part of it to Judea, annexing the Galilee to the Hasmonean kingdom. Josephus cites a passage from Timagenes excerpted by Strabo which recounts that Aristobulus was: 'very serviceable to the Jews, for he added a country to them, and obtained a part of the nation of the Itureans for them, and bound to them by the bond of the circumcision of their genitals.
Haspin lies on the northern border of the most-productive agricultural region of the southern Golan Heights, which, in ages past, was part of the main road leading up from Hamat Gader and from the Yarmuk valley to the northern regions of the Golan (Jaulan) as far as Hauran. An ancient Roman road criss-crossed the region. The area is rich in natural springs.
Bezalel Smotrich was born in Haspin, a religious Israeli settlement in the Golan Heights, and grew up in the Beit El settlement in the West Bank. Haspin (Hebrew: חַסְפִּין), widely known as Hispin, is also a moshav located in the southern Golan Heights.
Haspin (Khisfin) is first mentioned in sources describing the military exploits of Judas Maccabeus (I Maccabbees 5:26), under the name Chaspho. The town features prominently in the early rabbinic writings of the 3rd century CE (corresponding with the late Roman-early Byzantine period), under the name Hisfiyya. It is also mentioned in the 3rd century-4th century Mosaic of Rehob.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. Smotrich has ancestors in the Ukrainian town of Smotrych, whence his name originates. His father was an Orthodox rabbi, and Smotrich received a religious education, attending Mercaz HaRav Kook, Yashlatz, and Yeshivat Kedumim.
During Smotrich's short service in the Israel Defense Forces, he served as a secretary in the Operations Division of the General Staff.
He earned a BA in law from Ono Academic College, and began a master's degree in public and international law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, though he did not complete it. He was certified as a lawyer.
Smotrich is an Orthodox Jew, and is married to Revital, with whom he has seven children. The family lives outside the Kedumim settlement in the West Bank, in a house that was illegally built outside of state land and in breach of the settlement's master plan according to ?.
Bezalel has chutzpah, all right, but how much intelligence does he have? How much does he love Israel? Which is most important, his position in the coalition or the country? What can he really offer Netanyahu besides the 14 seats? He's pretty demanding for a 42 year old. It will be interesting to see how Netanyahu will handle this situation. Oy vey, and this is what Netanyahu came back for???
Update: 11/30/22 Likud and Religious Zionism met for hours last night and today, and are reportedly prepared to sign a coalition agreement later today. As part of the agreement Religious Zionism leader Smotrich and Shas leader Deri will share the finance and interior ministries, trading places after 2 years. Coalition agreements have still not be signed with Shas or United Torah Judaism. Soon-to-be Prime Minister Netanyahu is reportedly planning to ask President Herzog for a 14 day extension to form a government. He needs time to pass a law in the Knesset that would allow Shas leader Deri to serve as a minister despite the fact that he served prison time for tax evasion.
Resource:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/FMfcgzGqRZhTNkCSBHFtCkpPCPQHKCpr
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezalel_Smotrich
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights#:~:text=Since%20the%20Six%2DDay%20War,under%20the%20control%20of%20Syria.
https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Safed/Golan-Heights
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/03/israel-far-right-ben-gvir-smotrich/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itureahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haspin
https://www.triphobo.com/places/jerusalem-israel/neot-kedumim
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/smotrich-says-hes-ready-to-be-defense-minister-despite-short-military-service/
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