We are happy to present you with our 18th Sovereignty bulletin, sent to members and supporters of our Sovereignty Movement. You are invited to read, get updated and join:
Dear friends,
Greetings.
Despite the struggle against Corona and coping with the economic crisis, we must not abandon the demand for progress in the vision of sovereignty. The People of Israel desires this, as the Prime Minister well knows, since he turned sovereignty into a campaign promise, and we must use the political window of opportunity to promote the Zionist dream of the People of Israel’s sovereignty in its Land.
In this spirit, we encourage the ministers, members of Knesset and public figures who continue to remind the Prime Minister of his promise and demand its realization.
This week, as reported in the media, the Prime Minister said in the closed part of a Likud faction meeting, that the subject of sovereignty is still on the agenda for discussion, but it depends on receiving a green light from the White House. These remarks are concerning from a number of points of view, and the main one is the very idea that is expressed in these words, as if the Trump plan is the sovereignty plan that should be promoted.
We mention again that the Trump plan is nothing but a basis for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of our homeland, Heaven forbid, in exchange for a payment to the Right in the form of sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and another 10% of Judea and Samaria. This is not the message of sovereignty that the People of Israel expects. We will continue to oppose any scheme that is willing in principle (and of course, in practice) to divide our Land, to tear pieces from it to establish within it an alien state, whether hostile or not. The entire Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel and the Prime Minister’s total dependence on a green light from the White House is more than a hint that he does not intend to promote sovereignty based on Israel’s interests, but rather on the American plan.
The very thought that Israel acts as if it is a banana republic, dependent on the nod of any American president is also concerning. The Israeli leadership must remember that it, and only it, is the representative of the public in Israel and that the State of Israel is a sovereign, independent state that does not need approval from anyone in the world. If there is international consent to her steps, all the better, but if the world has not yet internalized the necessity of this Israeli political step, this is no reason for the Israeli government to be unclear or delay. This is how Ben Gurion, Levy Eshkol and Menahem Begin acted and Benjamin Netanyahu can and must act in this way as well.
The Sovereignty Coalition
This week we met with Minister of the Diaspora Omer Yankelevich (the Blue and White party), for a joint discussion with the Head of the “Bitchonistim” (The Security Guys), Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi.
We spoke with the minister about the vision of sovereignty and about the Zionist challenges that we face, such as encouraging aliyah, strengthening the settlement enterprise and fortifying security. These challenges elevate the people above the disagreements that erupt relating to the Corona crisis. These challenges consolidate the people into one national union.
Minister Yankelevich expressed her support the idea of sovereignty and we will apparently soon have another meeting with her in Gush Etzion and Hevron.
We were asked by the media whether the meeting with the minister from Blue and White hints at displeasure with the conduct of the Likud on the matter of sovereignty and whether, perhaps, it was even a political threat. We responded that our movement is not political and as such, it contacts all of the Zionist facets of Israeli politics in the effort to form a sovereignty coalition, and in this coalition, there is a place of honor for the people of Blue and White as well.
As may be remembered, the head of the party, Minister Benny Gantz himself, also declared in a joint appearance with members of his party, that the Jordan Valley is the eastern border of the State of Israel. This remark and other such remarks from his party are the basis for expansion of the circle of supporters for the phases of sovereignty.
Read about the meeting with the minister
For me, sovereignty is…
And this time, our guest columnist is Minister of Higher Education Ze’ev Elkin:
“For me, sovereignty is the natural continuation of the Zionist process and establishing a Jewish state in the Land of Israel in the modern era. Judea and Samaria are the cradle of the Jewish People’s history. It all happened here, every stone here carries within it the memory of the days of the First and Second Temples, of King David and the Maccabees, and this is why the Jewish state, without Judea and Samaria is a body without a soul. The time has come to reconnect the soul with the body openly and officially, for the whole world to see”.
The youth is focusing
Last week was a week full of activity for the pioneering and wonderful youth, which envelops the Sovereignty Movement in practical and meaningful activity.
We began the week with another seminar, the fifth in the series, for the Sovereignty Youth. We held the seminar under the title “Focusing”, and the objective that we placed for ourselves was to focus attention back on the meaning of sovereignty and ways to implement it practically.
The first of the speakers was the head of Gush Etzion Council Shlomo Ne’eman, who explained to the youth how civil rights are violated for the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. Later, former minister, Member of Knesset Bezalel Smotrich explained his sovereignty plan entitled the Resolution Plan. The head of the Hashomer Hachadash, Yoel Zilberman spoke about the importance of preserving state lands and how to turn the vision into reality. Dr. Hagai Ben Artzi gave a lecture full of geographical and historical surprises about the borders of the Promised Land. In addition, the youths participated in workshops on the practical steps in realizing a vision and the correct way to conduct a discussion, led by Eran Tobol and Eldad Harel.
The youths’ participation and interest continue to fill us with the sense that indeed, a new generation of leaders has arisen here, with a clear ideological path, who are well aware of their role in the chain of realizing the Jewish People’s dream and who are also determined to take on the historical burden of realizing their role. Arise and succeed, dear youth!
Read about the seminar and view the pictures
Connecting to the roots
Later in the week, youth from all parts of the Land gathered for a special archaeological camp held under Corona restrictions at Oz veGaon. Under the leadership of the head of the Archaeology Command of the Civil Administration and a member archaeologist, the youths uncovered archaeological findings from the Second Temple Period.
Additional pottery and findings were found in the area of the preserve, along with the uncovering of an ancient dwelling. The findings join an ancient winepress and water cistern that had been uncovered at the preserve in the past. The youths also worked diligently on weeding and cleaning.
At the conclusion of the camp, the young men and women described the sense of satisfaction from the hard work of uncovering the historic roots of the Land of Israel. This is the practical connection to nature, agriculture, history and landscapes of the Land of Israel, and the deeper this connection is, the more meaningful it becomes and the working with one’s hands and feet only strengthen it.
Our thanks to AFSI for their generous contribution, which allowed the camp to be held and for the active and fruitful cooperation, with the understanding that the connection to the Land of Israel is built by both vision and practicality.
Read about the camp and view the pictures
Let the IDF win!
This week we received support for the claim that we have been making for years against the subjugation of the Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria to the Civil Administration, i.e. military rule. In a report that was published this week, the State Comptroller stated that the negligent conduct of the Civil Administration has allowed the Arabs to take over of land in Area C for years, using falsified documents and unverified data.
We would not have come to the situation that we are in now if full Israeli sovereignty had been applied, and Israeli law along with it, in Judea and Samaria. The situation in which military legal personnel still base their decisions on Ottoman and British Mandate law in an attempt to formulate a legal policy, is a recipe for continuing injustice that severely violates the human rights of hundreds of thousands of the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria.
The Civil Administration must be dismantled, the settlement enterprise must be subordinated to government offices like any other community throughout the Land and military resources must be freed to pursue their true objective: Clear victory for the security of Israel.
Read extensively about the remarks of the State Comptroller
Shabbat shalom,
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar