Yesha Council
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The Yesha Council (Hebrew: מועצת יש"ע, Moatzat Yesha) is the umbrella organization of the various municipal councils of Jewish communities in "Yesha," a Hebrew acronym for Judea, Samaria, Gaza, which are otherwise referred to as the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The council was founded in the 1970s as the successor to Gush Emunim, an organization formed to oversee the return of Jews to what they see as their Biblical homeland. The Jewish population of the towns, cities, and villages that comprise Yesha stands at around 225,000, although unofficially stands in the region of 500,000[1].
The council consists of 25 democratically elected mayors and ten community leaders. Its mandate is to provide security: for example, by arranging for the acquisition of bullet-proof ambulances and buses; to oversee improvements to the infrastructure, like roads, electricity, and water supplies; and to act as domestic and international emissaries on behalf of residents. Its resettlement policy was criticised by the Sasson Report. [2]
In addition to municipal and security cares the council aims to serve as a political representative of the Jewish residents of Yesha, and a lobby for their cause. It aims to lobby their interests in the Knesset and the government, and has appointed itself in charge of public relations campaigns and certain grassroots protests.
In 2005, it led the campaign against the disengagement plan with peaceful mass protests: the human chain of 130,000, the Kfar Maimon march of 50,000, the Kotel rally of 70,000, and the Tel Aviv rally of 200,000. The council was praised by centrists for refraining from the use of violence -- although some right-wing activists did resort to violence. It was also criticized by the right for failing to prevent the disengagement. In Febrauary 2005, Israel's Minister of Interior found that the Yesha Council had misappropriated funds provided by the Israeli government in this political campaign. [3]
On July 2007, Dani Dayan was elected as Chairman of the Yesha Council. Dayan is a secular businessman, resident of Maale Shomron.
