In an interview on “Mit’yashvim LeSicha” (“Pioneers in Conversation”), Yehudit Katsover lays out the milestones of her personal life intertwined with her public activism—from her days as a teacher in Dimona, through Hebron, to the Sovereignty Movement and beyond.
Yehudit Katsover, one of the leaders of the Sovereignty Movement, appears on the podcast “Mit’yashvim LeSicha” (“Pioneers in Conversation”) and recounts the milestones in her life that led to the founding of the Sovereignty Movement, which has brought about a real shift in Israeli diplomacy and politics.
Katsover revisits the days of the historic entry into Beit Hadassah in Hebron, and even earlier, the decision to move from Dimona—where she worked as a teacher—to Kiryat Arba, then a fledgling community. From there, she moves on to the next painful chapter: the uprooting and expulsion from Gush Katif, where she met her future partner in leading the Sovereignty Movement, Nadia Matar. Together, the two headed the “Women in Green” movement and led a strategic revolution in strengthening the Jewish hold on Judea and Samaria, through relentless struggles against attempts at illegal Arab takeover of the land.
From this experience emerged the understanding of the need for a deeper and more fundamental change—one that would halt ideas of uprooting, withdrawal, and the establishment of an Arab terror state in the heart of the country while they were still in their infancy. Thus, the two decided to establish the Sovereignty Movement. Katsover describes the conceptual shift the movement brought to the diplomatic arena, as for the first time the political right also presented a structured diplomatic plan for the future of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza as an inseparable sovereign part of the State of Israel.
Katsover discusses the movement’s influence and the vision it promotes within Israel’s political sphere, including research led by the Sovereignty Movement on the feasibility and implications of applying sovereignty. She outlines the movement’s future goals, which are gradually being realized step by step, particularly during the three years of the current government, as part of a long-term vision for the future of the nation and the land.
She also addresses the meaning, essence, and impact of extra-parliamentary activity—work that is not subject to coalition or opposition considerations, but rather dedicated to an idea. As someone who has long been involved in education, Katsover speaks about the joint activities with the Sovereignty Youth that share the vision and ideals.
Further on, Yehudit Katsover outlines the practical steps now required to advance the sovereignty vision, including the creation of a comprehensive master plan for Judea and Samaria that would formally and practically integrate these areas into the development of the State of Israel in the coming years, as well as the establishment of a Greater Jerusalem metropolitan area that would blur and effectively erase the Green Line and its implications as a border marker.
As she reflects on the progress made toward sovereignty over the decade and a half since the Sovereignty Movement was founded, Yehudit Katsover expresses faith, confidence, and optimism about what lies ahead.
The conversation concludes with Katsover offering her brief one-sentence definitions of: sovereignty, Nadia Matar, Gush Etzion, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, the Sovereignty Movement, Hebron, education, and the Land of Israel.