Likud MK and former chief of the Shin Bet internal security agency Avi Dichter urged Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to move forward with plans to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria – even if an agreement has not yet been reached with the Trump administration over the precise boundaries of the sovereignty plan.
Speaking with Reshet Bet radio on Wednesday, MK Dichter said the time had come to extend Israeli law over Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.
“There is absolutely no reason why half a million Israelis who are living there should be treated any differently, as if things are still up in the air [regarding their status], just because the land they’re living on still is not under Israeli sovereignty.”
When asked whether Israel should wait until receiving a green light from the White House before moving forward with the sovereignty plan, Dichter said Israel should move forward immediately.
“If the State of Israel had needed to wait, it would not have been established. There have been other things in the past Israel did without waiting. The time has come for [sovereignty] in Judea and Samaria.”
Today marks the first day, under the Israeli government’s coalition agreement, that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu can pursue his yet-to-be released sovereignty plan.
Details of the timing and dimensions of the plan remain closely guarded, fueling speculation regarding when and over what areas Israel will apply sovereignty over.
Israeli officials are continuing talks with US officials regarding the precise boundaries for the plan, Likud minister Zeev Elkin said Wednesday morning.
This article was originally published in Arutz Sheva, and is also available on our website.
