Training to face police
Photo: Raanan Ben-Zur
'Orange' teens trained to face police
Youngsters who took part in clashes with police in Amona taught to evade mounted troops; only 11 teenagers show up at training session
Teenagers who participated in clashes against the Police in Amona were on hand for a short training session Monday and learned, among other things, tactics to evade mounted police forces evacuating West Bank outposts.
The exercise, which involved members of the so-called 'Orange Youth Brigades,' took place in a horse ranch in central Israel, under the guidance of a Krav Maga (Israeli system of hand to hand combat) trainer who served in the IDF as a Wingate Institute instructor.
Eleven teenagers took part in the training session, which was apparently aimed more for the media than for training, and which appeared improvised, lasting only a number of minutes.
'Orange' training session (Photo: Raanan Ben-Zur)
No real techniques for dealing with police and soldiers coming to clear settlers were shown.
Baruch Marzel, leader of the Far-right National Jewish Front party, was also on hand.
At one point, the teenagers performed somersaults and were taught to evade capture when their hands or legs are caught.
Some rode on horses, and were shown how to evade them.
The youths said they arrived at the ranch after receiving flyers at the Yesha Council demonstration in Jerusalem Sunday. The flyers read: "They are on vehicles and horsebacks, and we're on behalf of God."
Flyers were signed by the "Orange Youth Brigades," "Torah law loyalists," and "Lovers of the Land of Israel."
At the start of the exercise, Yoni Kahana, the instructor, explained: "Our role is to learn self defense for defense and not for attack. Our war is for the Land of Israel. No one can clear us out. What happened in Amona will not be repeated. We won't fight in an illegal manner - only attack when your attacker comes for you. Our laws are the laws of the Torah. It is a mitzvah (commandment) to keep the Land of Israel in its entirety."
Benny, the owner of the ranch where the session was conducted, said he had no political views on the issue, and that the exercise's organizers wanted to arrive at the ranch and be photographed with the horses, a request he granted without asking for payment.
Their activities did not bother him and he is not opposed to those who hold such views, he said, adding: "If they were left-wingers I would also allow the same."
The "Organization to Save the Nation and the Land," headed by Rabbi Shalom Wolpe, organized the training exercise. The group said it expected hundreds and thousands of youths to join the training sessions, which they plan to hold across the country.
"All of the Israeli people know that the only country in the world where Jewish teenagers are hit for being Jewish is Israel. If they were Arabs being cleared of illegal structures we would not have seen what happened in Amona. The youths must therefore be trained, so they know how to defend themselves against the troopers," said Rabbi Wolpe.
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
