Elyakim Haetzni, one of the giants of spirit of our generation, among the initiators of the return of the people of Israel to the ancestral city of Hebron and to all parts of Judea and Samaria, has departed from us.
While the Israeli government was overwhelmed from the victory in the Six Day War, Elyakim had already begun to kindle the eternal flame of settlement in the historic Land of Israel.
A partner in the ideological movement, the Movement for Greater Israel, together with other giants of the spirit including Natan Alterman, Rahel Yanait Ben Zvi, Uri Zvi Greenberg, Haim Hazaz, Ze'ev Vilnai, Yosef and Moshe Tabenkin, Rivka Katzenelson, Beni Marshak, Shai Agnon, Prof. Dov Sadan, Yitzhak Zuckerman (Antec), Tzvia Lubetkin, Tzvi Shiloah, Moshe Shamir, Yitzhak Shalev, Reuven Hecht, Dan Tolkovsky, Eliezer Livne, Dr. Yisrael Eldad, Yaakov Orland, Prof. Yehuda Elitzur, Moshe Moshkovitz and many others, he reset the wheels of history in motion, and revived the values of Zionism.
Elyakim dealt extensively with the legal aspect of the issue of the Land of Israel, with the historical and moral justification for building in Judea and Samaria and living there.
As a lawyer,he was insistent upon knowing all the sections and sub-sections in depth, all the fine print that was relegated to the margins of the documents of the various agreements. As a result, he was able to accurately analyze the situation and caution of the dangers of evacuations, withdrawals and concessions.
In his home, with his wife, the late Tzippora, by his side, there were long nights of meetings, discussions, preparations for demonstrations and protests, and he, an outstanding speaker, would articulate a well-reasoned philosophy, well-grounded in reality.
We consulted him extensively regarding the challenge of sovereignty. We often went to his house to clarify more and more points, raise more and more questions and analyze and formulate answers and responses.
The gist of his worldview on the issue of sovereignty called for applying sovereignty over the entire territory and granting autonomy to the Arabs to administer their civilian lives, excluding foreign relations and defense, under full Israeli sovereignty without giving them citizenship.
Elyakim lectured countless times in the framework of various sovereignty movement activities.
Regardless of his age and weather conditions, in the hot summer and the freezing Jerusalem winter, he took his place as a leader in protest vigils before the Prime Minister's residence, ranging from the Kissinger plans in the seventies to the dangerous Trump plan.
With his knowledge and careful attention to every verbal pitfall and possessing the understanding of the long-term ramifications of each and every clause, it was Elyakim who opened the eyes of all of us to the danger inherent in Trump's Deal of the Century. In his unique way, he knew how to succinctly characterize the ramifications of the Trump plan as “poison in a candy wrapper” – a Palestinian state being forged in the document of the deal of the century.
He stated and warned: “It is written openly in the document with hundreds of clauses – a Palestinian state in exchange for sovereignty.”
Approximately two weeks ago we visited him in the hospital, after receiving a call from his son, Boaz. Despite his illness and weakness, there was only one topic that concerned him and that he addressed: Settlement and more settlement in the land of Israel..
His message was clear:No matter how much building is done, it is not enough, we need to demand more and more, he repeated.
Elyakim’s fervor, his burning flame, will not be extinguished.
All his sons and grandchildren are disciples of the Land of Israel and imbued with love for it. In all their actions, they serve as proof of the greatness and purity of his intentions and actions.
Elyakim, of blessed memory, a man of vision and action, will be greatly missed.
With whom will we consult? Who will deliver the message of the Land of Israel free of ulterior motives?
Elyakim will be missed by the Sovereignty Movement, byKiryat Arba Hebron and the entire Jewish people.
In the building of the Land of Israel we will be comforted.