Where does the lack of sovereignty infringe on civil rights? Has the sovereignty agenda advanced during the last term of government? What lies ahead for the settlement enterprise? An interview with Yisrael Gantz, chairman of the Yesha Council.
Over the past four years, the settlement enterprise has experienced unprecedented momentum, and in the eyes of Yisrael Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, this is only the beginning of a long journey. He makes time for our conversation while out on a field tour, where he and his team are identifying elevated vantage points overlooking communities and traffic routes, in preparation for planning the next wave of communities yet to be established.
When we ask Gantz to look ahead and assess what Judea and Samaria might look like in 2048, the centenary of the establishment of the State of Israel, he radiates optimism. “I see Judea and Samaria as one of the most beautiful and most densely populated parts of Israel, with more commerce, leisure, and cultural activity than anywhere else in the country. After all, we have a high quality of life here, wonderful air, and landscapes found nowhere else in Israel. But to get there, we must not wait until the centenary. We need to apply Israeli law in Judea and Samaria in the coming years. Once that happens, it will be much easier to advance major infrastructure projects that will strengthen this region and bring honor to the State of Israel.”
As we know, before each of the most recent election campaigns, right-wing politicians pledged their allegiance to the vision of sovereignty and promised to advance it. During the most recent term of government, Gantz says, tangible progress was made, even if the process is still far from perfect or complete. “The State of Israel has applied quite a few laws here that were not in force previously, including the Clean Air Law and the Construction Waste Law; stepped up enforcement against illegal construction in Areas A and B; brought planning and building laws into line with those in the rest of the country in many areas; and much more. This has not meant applying all Israeli legislation at once, but progress is being made in stages, and, thank G-d, it is happening.”
“Nevertheless, today the authority to legislate here - and, in a broader sense, to exercise sovereignty- rests with the commander of the IDF Central Command. In the not-too-distant future, that authority should pass to the Knesset, and we will get there, too,” he says confidently.
Gantz rejects the argument that it makes no difference whether legislation is enacted by the military commander or by the Knesset. As he explains, Knesset legislation does not automatically apply to the residents of Judea and Samaria. It applies there only after the relevant legislation has been formally adapted for application in the area, a process subject to scrutiny by legal advisers who do not permit or approve everything. Ultimately, it is the citizens who pay the price for the disparity between the sovereign reality prevailing throughout the rest of the country and the reality in Judea and Samaria, where their rights are infringed.
Healthcare, Cellular Coverage, Air Pollution: Rights Denied in Judea and Samaria
It is reasonable to assume that not all residents of Judea and Samaria are aware of the rights denied them because sovereignty has not been applied to the area. Yet the issue affects a remarkably broad range of aspects of their everyday civilian lives, and Gantz cites just a few examples. Until about two years ago, for instance, cellular providers were not required to ensure coverage along roads in Judea and Samaria. The loss of cellular reception, which had become an all-too-familiar feature of driving throughout the area, also had security implications. About two years ago, steps were taken to align the relevant legislation with the laws in force elsewhere in Israel. The process is not yet complete, and full parity has not been achieved, but progress is being made.
Another example concerns residents’ health. “In Israel, a government resolution provides for the establishment of MRI and CT facilities for every 100,000 residents. Judea and Samaria has a population of 560,000, yet there is not a single MRI or CT facility in the area because the requirement has not been applied here,” Gantz says. He adds: “This affects every area of our lives, including the regulation of cellular frequencies and responsibility for signage along the roads between communities. Such signage makes it possible to collect fees that can be used for residents’ welfare. Penalties for air pollution also differ, encouraging polluters to transport waste to Judea and Samaria and burn it without proper treatment. The residents are the ones who suffer the consequences of all these issues, as well as many others.”
As a staunch supporter of the vision of sovereignty and one of its most prominent advocates, Yisrael Gantz also finds himself confronting an argument from the political right that applying sovereignty would make it procedurally more difficult to establish new communities and expand existing ones. “Living in the State of Israel as a sovereign state is a great privilege, even if it can sometimes be complicated. When you have a state, you have to pay taxes, and there are planning and building laws. Perhaps none of these obligations and rights would apply if we lived on a deserted island, but they are what build our country. You cannot expect Judea and Samaria not to be treated as a backyard while also expecting things to happen by other means,” Gantz says.
He goes on to assert: “Construction is progressing not because there is no law here, but because local council heads and residents are committed to developing and expanding their communities. It depends not on the law, but on the people driving the process. That is why development will continue at a rapid pace even after sovereignty is applied here, perhaps even faster than before. One example is the so-called umbrella agreements, which do not currently exist in Judea and Samaria. Under these agreements, each construction project can move forward with 200 or 300 housing units, whereas elsewhere in Israel, umbrella agreements provide for a much larger housing supply. Only now are such agreements beginning to be signed, and even then, not everywhere in Judea and Samaria.”
Gantz is equally convinced that applying sovereignty would enable the accelerated development of water and electricity infrastructure, tailored to the size of the population and its growth. “If we were under the Planning Administration responsible for planning throughout the State of Israel, major water and electricity lines would have been built here long ago. There are countless other examples. Being part of a state means having rights and obligations, and we want to be citizens with equal rights.”
“Even when Jews lived in exile, there were those who preferred to stay on good terms with the paritz (the local gentile landlord), because those who knew how to dance to his tune stood to gain. We are part of the State of Israel, and we want to be part of the State of Israel. That is why the laws of the State of Israel should apply here, with all the rights and obligations they entail.”
This article was originally published in Sovereignty Journal, Issue No. 20 (October 2026). 📖 "Click here to read the full issue