“Yesha: Hityashvut M’natzachat” - Judea, Samaria, and Gaza: A Winning Settlement Enterprise. This is the theme of a radio jingle prepared by the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, and its goal is to encourage Israelis to move to Yesha. The ad begins with a lively song, and continues with a young woman saying, “My name is Nurit Ben-Yisrael. Three months ago, I was married to a French immigrant to Israel. We moved to Karmei Tzur [between Gush Etzion and Kiryat Arba], and we now feel totally connected to the place - as if we were born here.” A male narrator then states, “According to population statistics, the population of Yesha has grown this year by 17,000 new settlers…”

The upbeat tone of the ad is currently toned down, however, as it has been forbidden for broadcast by the Israel Broadcasting Authority, with the claim that its message is one of “political controversy.” Beit El Mayor Uri Ariel, acting head of the Yesha Council, sharply criticized the IBA, claiming that it had made a “politically-based decision to shut mouths. It’s clear that the settlement enterprise is a winning proposition over the Arabs, and it is clear that 17,000 new people have moved here, and it is also clear that the Israeli public is tremendously supportive of us. Yet, for political reasons, there are certain elements that allow themselves to ban this ad…” Ariel said that the Yesha Council received advance approval for the commercial, on the basis of which hundreds of thousands of shekels were spent to produce it. He threatened that if the ad is not aired, the Council will take the case to court. A similar ad produced by the Gaza Coast Regional Council was also banned recently from airing on public radio.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 24th, 2001 and is filed under news.