Leading up to Bennett's visit to the United States and his meeting with Biden, and in light of concerns that Bennett will succumb to pressure and approve the establishment of an American consulate for the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem, the Sovereignty Movement is launching a campaign calling on the Prime Minister to stand firm in the face of pressure and promote the political vision in which he believed, the vision of sovereignty. “Be strong and protect the Land of Israel."
Leading up to Prime Minister Bennett's departure to the United States and his meeting with President Biden, the Sovereignty Movement is launching a campaign calling upon the Prime Minister not to succumb to American pressure. The campaign is due to the concern that the President will exert pressure on the Prime Minister to open an American consulate in Jerusalem for the residents of the Palestinian Authority.
As part of the campaign, the movement sent a letter of encouragement to the Prime Minister, calling for a resolute stand regarding the indivisibility of the land in the face of the anticipated pressure from the American president. “The current American administration has set as its objective to restore to the negotiating table the dangerous concept of partitioning the land and establishing a Palestinian state in its center, a concept to which you are opposed. You were one of the leaders of the struggle against this concept in your various positions as a member of the government, in the Yesha Council and more,” was written in a letter signed by the movement's leaders, Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar.
Katsover and Matar added in their letter that "on your trip to Washington you, like your predecessors in office, are likely to encounter significant political pressure regarding this and other issues. The overwhelming majority of this pressure will be exerted off camera, when the public smiles in the glittering halls have dissipated. At that point, you will, ostensibly, be standing alone in the face of pressure exerted by the president, but, even then, you will not be standing alone.”
“With you at that moment are thousands of years of Jewish history that bind the Land of Israel to the Jewish people of Israel in an eternal link. With you at that moment are thousands of years of the Jewish future, which is also connected with the very fiber of its being to its only land. With you at that moment is an absolute majority of Israeli citizens who oppose partition of the land and the establishment of an Arab state at its center, a terrorist state that will subject the entire country to a threat several times more severe than the one to which the Gaza Envelope is subject,” they wrote to the Prime Minister.
The two mention in their letter the latest reports from Afghanistan as evidence that despite promises and guarantees, not one of the world leaders, not even the leaders of the United States, will leave his soldiers to battle for the security of others. “The harsh scenes from Afghanistan indicate to all of us the extent to which the Jewish people cannot rely on foreigners. In the moment of truth, against waves of enemies and foes, the people of Israel will be left to cope alone.”
Katsover and Matar call upon Bennett not to submit to proposals for a settlement freeze. “Do not submit to demands for a settlement freeze. Do not agree to the demands for concessions regarding Arab construction that is continually establishing facts on the ground in the spirit of the Fayed Plan that, for all intents and purposes, is building a Palestinian state, with or without an agreement. Do not accede to the demand for the establishment of an American consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinian Authority. A step of that kind will constitute the beginning of, God forbid, the political division of the Israeli capital.”
Katzover and Matar's letter is a direct continuation of a series of media publications, articles, columns, and ads, backed by the Sovereignty Movement together with other organizations that caution against political steps that cause Israel to abandon the vision advocated by the Prime Minister until recently, the vision of sovereignty, and restore to the negotiating table the dangerous concept of partitioning the land and establishing a Palestinian state in the center of Israel.
In the letter, Katsover and Matar emphasized that the letter in no way calls into question the abilities of Prime Minister Bennett, but it merely seeks to strengthen him in the face of the anticipated pressures on him. “There is no statement in our letter calling into question the ability of the Prime Minister to present a clear, resolute ideological position that maintains the indivisibility of the land. At the same time, we are also aware of the enormous weight of the political pressure that a superpower like the United States is capable of exerting on Israel. The American president is liable to employ economic, security, political and other forms of leverage to promote his worldview regarding the future of the Jewish-Arab conflict. In our letter, we seek to support the Prime Minister in the face of that enormous pressure, and to remind him that the majority of the people, as well as the entire Jewish history, stand with him.”
In conclusion, they wrote: “Leadership is tested in pressure-packed moments. It is our hope and prayer that the Prime Minister will, in fact, display the fortitude required of a leader at moments like these. Past Israeli Prime Ministers have stood resolutely in the face of enormous American pressure, presented their determined position, even if it resulted in friction with the White House, on behalf of Israeli interests. Ultimately, in all those instances, those leaders garnered esteem in Israel, the esteem of the Americans, as well as American support for Israeli interests,” say Katsover and Matar.
They concluded their letter to Bennett with the words: “Have a safe trip and return safely. Be resolute and protect the Land of Israel.”
