Gershon Mesika

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Gershon Mesika (Hebrew: גרשון מסיקה‎, born 5 July 1952) an Israeli lawyer and politician who currently serves as mayor of Shomron Regional Council.

Biography

Born in Ashdod, Mesika is an Israeli lawyer. Since 1982 he has lived in the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh with his wife and family. He previously owned a local armored limousine service.[1]

In November 2007, he was elected director of Shomron Regional local government. Immediately after being elected as head of the Shomron regional council, Mesika took on the issue of restoring Joseph's tomb in the city of Nablus.[2] The Holy site had been vandalized and desecrated again and again by Arab mobs as result of the Israeli pull out in Oct. 2000.[3] Under Mesika direction ongoing efforts have been since the end of 2007 to renovate the site.[4]

As a leader of the Israeli settlers in the West Bank, Mesika called on his constituents to vote right in the 2009 Knesset elections. In a letter to his constituents, Mesika writes, “It doesn’t matter which nationalist camp party you vote for, the main thing is to vote!” He also calls upon the residents to “get involved and help out the nationalist parties, each person according to his or her preference. The main thing is to volunteer and act in order to strengthen the nationalist camp.”[5]

He has called on Jewish families living in West Bank settlements to have more children to continue the exponential growth in the area.[6] As an advocate for growth in the Jewish communities in the Shomron Mesika symbolic tore up building freeze orders issued by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. he termed the restrictions aimed at Jewish population only as racist decree and called on the Israel government to support the growth and development of these communities.[7][8]

In 2008, he appointed strategic advisor and local activist David Ha'ivri to head the Shomron Liaison Office[9] as part of an overall effort to improve the public image of the Jewish settlements in the region. Tours for elected officials and journalists[10] are part of this ongoing public relations effort.

References

  1. ↑ Council Head Gershon Mesika - Personal Profile Shomron Regional Council
  2. ↑ Hundreds of settlers enter Joseph's Tomb Ynetnews, 25 December 2008
  3. ↑ http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=56238
  4. ↑ Joseph’s Tomb Gets a Paint Job After 9 Years of Arab Desecration Israel National News, 25 December 2008
  5. ↑ Yesha Leaders: Make Sure to Vote Nationalist Israel National News, 3 February 2009
  6. ↑ Katz, Mesika Praise Yesha Population Growth Israel National News, 27 July 2009
  7. ↑ The New York Times
  8. ↑ No to building freeze - Shomron Council head Gershon Mesika
  9. ↑ The Shomron Liaison Office website
  10. ↑ TV Celeb Visits Jews in Samaria
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