Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi: Sovereignty is the national spinal column, it stems from our people's history and constitutes a moral foundation that is also backed by international law.
Communications Minister Dr. Shlomo Karhi was among the guests at the 7th Youth for Sovereignty Conference held in Sderot. In his speech, he opened with the inspiration that the city of Sderot provides as a symbol of determination and love of the land even under fire - an inspiration of standing against enemies, making the desert bloom, and building life with pride. "When we speak of sovereignty, we mean first and foremost, the basic recognition that the Land of Israel is our forefathers' inheritance. It is ours. Both banks of the Jordan - this one is ours, that one is also ours, and the west bank of the Jordan first and foremost. Judea and Samaria are the heartland of Israel and they are ours."
Sovereignty, Minister Karhi noted, is a national spinal column. It stems from our people's history and constitutes a moral foundation that is also backed by international law in a way that is unambiguous, he said, citing the source in the United Nations Charter establishing that all rights granted to the Jewish people within the framework of the Balfour Declaration remained in effect even after the establishment of the UN. Karhi emphasized that the people of Israel do not need approval from the nations, but this statement provides additional proof of the justice of his claim and right. "The right of the people of Israel to settle in all of Mandatory Palestine, including Judea and Samaria, is not only a historical right but a legal right recognized and protected throughout the world. This is not occupation, but return - a revival of a people in their historical homeland. Whoever denies this opposes our very existence here as a free people in its land."
In his remarks, Minister Karhi noted that in his ministry, the Communications Ministry, terminology that divides between the two sides of the Green Line is not accepted, but rather the restoration of the heartland, so long neglected, to the national map. The ministry does this by deploying optic fibers in every home in Judea and Samaria, through licensing new cellular sites for Judea and Samaria - a move whose budget was approved this week by the Finance Committee - as well as advancing initiatives that until now were frozen by the bureaucratic establishment, as Karhi defined it. He asserted that despite the complexity of standing against the bureaucratic establishment, there is no intention to capitulate, but to continue forward with determination and faith.
"Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is an inevitable step. This strip of land is the center of our national and historical identity. Developing infrastructure in these areas will ensure not only the security and welfare of residents but the deepening of our roots in the land of our forefathers' inheritance," said the minister, who added and referred to the campaign in Gaza, stating that it will not end until the complete dismantling of the terror regime and the return of the hostages. "This is a moral and national imperative. Military rule there is a necessity dictated by reality, but without Jewish settlement it will not hold over time."
Confronting the entire world, says Minister Karhi, the statement is clear: "Without sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, there is no complete Jewish state, no security, no future, and no identity." To those who hesitate, he reminded that "our right was not born in the UN. It was born in Jerusalem, in the Cave of Machpela, in Shechem, in Beit El, and in Hebron. This is our land by right and not as an act of kindness."