Energy Minister Eli Cohen sees Trump’s second term in the White House as a historic opportunity to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. He is willing to pay political prices for that sovereignty
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In his various government roles, and in his current position as well, Energy Minister and member of the political-security cabinet, Eli Cohen has worked to promote and develop settlement in Judea and Samaria, considering the long-term potential of these areas for Israel’s future, beyond their strategic-security significance.
As a former Foreign Minister, Cohen recently stated that applying Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is more important in his opinion than a diplomatic agreement with Saudi Arabia, which many consider the crown jewel of diplomatic agreements with Arab states. “When asked which is more significant, peace with Saudi Arabia or sovereignty, my answer is decisive: sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is higher on my list of priorities,” he says in an interview with “Sovereignty.”
“It is clear to me and clear to everyone that between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, there can and must be only one state, the State of Israel, the state of the Jewish people. This is our ancestral heritage. The path of the Right is the correct one, and since October 7th, many have come to their senses and the number of supporters of our policy has gradually increased. With President Trump’s entry into the White House, there is a historic opportunity to promote sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” says Minister Cohen.
“In all the positions that I have filled, I took action to promote groundbreaking steps in Judea and Samaria,” he says, pointing to the honorary consulate in the city of Ariel opened during his tenure as Foreign Minister, the first honorary consulate in Judea and Samaria. “Until then, the Foreign Ministry did not relate to Judea and Samaria, but with this step, I placed Judea and Samaria on the map.” The country in question is a little- known country, Papua New Guinea, located north of Australia, a country with over ten million inhabitants that is considered the third largest island state in the world. Despite its relative anonymity, Cohen sees the establishment of the consulate in Judea and Samaria as a breakthrough of political consciousness. As Economic Minister, Cohen worked to preserve the industrial zones in Judea and Samaria as priority A areas and expanded additional industrial zones. “We must ensure that there is no legislative discrimination against Judea and Samaria relative to other parts of the country, and therefore in my opinion, the most important objective with Trump’s entry into office for the next four years is the application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, and I am glad to see that many in the Trump administration consider the Land of Israel between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River as the state of the Jewish people.”
Making Clear Statements Leaving no Room for Misconceptions
Minister Cohen is also unwilling to accept a statement that perhaps the correct course of action is to maintain the status quo: on the one hand, not to impose sovereignty and, on the other hand, not to establish a Palestinian state, in order to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. “We need to speak clearly and not give countries illusions or cultivate false hopes. I oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Imagine if we sign a peace agreement when the other side is convinced that a Palestinian state will be established and ultimately it will turn out that no state was established. Therefore, I prefer to speak clearly and not leave room for people to draw conclusions that we did not mean. Therefore, I will take action to impose sovereignty and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and if the price is that there will be not be peace agreements with additional Arab countries, I am willing to pay that price.”
He adds that in his assessment, peace agreements can be promoted without concessions to the Palestinians, as was the case in the Abraham Accords, since “ultimately, these countries are assessing their interests, and their interests are to create a regional coalition with Israel with its security, intelligence, and technological advantages against the common enemy, which is Iran.”
“These countries seek the connection with Israel because it has already proven to be a regional military power, it is the only one in recent decades that has operated in Iran and its planes maneuvered in Iran’s skies as in their own. Israel attacked in a manner that these countries lack the knowledge and the ability. Therefore, even from the security perspective, an agreement with Israel is in their interest.”
To promote sovereignty, Minister Cohen emphasizes, Israel will need and seek the support of the American administration and coordination with it. “This will be the greatest achievement,” he says. To the question of whether it is possible that Trump sees the Palestinian Authority leadership in general and Abu Mazen in particular as a partner in the containment bloc of the Iranian axis of evil, which would complicate the move toward sovereignty, Minister Cohen answers honestly that he does not know what Trump really thinks about Abu Mazen. But from his meetings with senior officials around the president, he learned that these are people who see eye to eye with Israel both in terms of the importance of the struggle against the Iranian axis of evil on one hand and the historical right of the Jewish people to their ancestral inheritance on the other.
Correcting a Historical Injustice in Judea and Samaria
Cohen’s perception of the close historical connection between the Jewish people and Judea and Samaria also has implications regarding his current tenure as Energy Minister, and in this context, he talks about what he defines as a historical injustice that he is correcting in his ministry.
“The energy sector is an important economic growth engine, especially in the areas of water, electricity, and gas. It is a growth engine that generates many employment opportunities, as well as income from property taxes. I am working to correct a historical injustice. Currently, there are no power stations in Judea and Samaria, which I find to be unreasonable. Currently, there is no infrastructure for Israeli gas in Judea and Samaria, which is a central component of state revenues. I intend to correct these injustices and have already instructed planning for placing a gas infrastructure in Judea and Samaria in general and in industrial areas in particular, as well as establishing power stations. We have already identified the sites where we intend to establish six new power stations.”
The interview was first published in Issue 18 of the Sovereignty Journal. Click here for the issue.