The Justice Minister doesn't need anti-Israeli actions at the UN to determine that the time for sovereignty is here, but the UN move fits into a historical puzzle, creating a rare window of opportunity.
The interview first appeared in Issue 19 of Ribonut (Sovereignty).
Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin firmly believes that diplomacy, politics, and reality are aligning at this moment to give Israel's leadership a rare opportunity to pursue sovereignty. In an interview with Sovereignty, he also discusses the Prime Minister's stance on the sovereignty issue, as he, the Deputy Prime Minister, perceives it.
Levin begins by going back five years to the end of Donald Trump's previous term as US President. Levin, along with Netanyahu and a distinguished entourage, arrives in Washington, where the American President delivered a statement supporting the application of sovereignty in principle. While that event ultimately did not lead to the implementation of sovereignty, and the reasons for that are well known, in Levin's view, it laid the political foundation in principle for the imminent application of sovereignty.
"That administration is back, and its positions are far from the oppositionist positions presented by other governments. Now it appears there is definitely a chance for an American green light and support for the move."
To this, Minister Levin adds Israel’s current coalition structure that fully supports applying sovereignty – unlike in the past, when various partners from the center and left worked to thwart such efforts. Now, he notes, support for sovereignty is even growing among opposition ranks.
"This is a convergence of conditions, and I don't know if they will recur again," adding the anticipated UN event, or as he calls it, "unilateral steps of recognizing the fiction known as a Palestinian state." He states that these actions provide further "justification and necessity to take the step of applying sovereignty. This is the best response to that."
If all this weren't enough, Minister Levin recalls the widespread opposition to a Palestinian state and Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, which has been deeply etched in the hearts and minds of the Israeli public since the October 7th massacre. "This approach enjoys enormous public support," he says.
Based on past experience, where political and policy excuses were repeatedly used to justify why it was not the right time to apply sovereignty, the Justice Minister believes that Israel now faces a short window of opportunity with no room for pretexts or excuses, and no better one will likely appear.
And what does Netanyahu think
In light of the widespread agreement among the public, the coalition, and part of the opposition, only one person's stance remains unclear – the one with the decision-making power: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "It wouldn't be right for me to share publicly what he tells me in our meetings," says Minister Levin, immediately adding that in a series of statements "The Prime Minister has revealed his opinion on this. All his actions over the years have been directed toward Judea and Samaria being an inseparable part of the State of Israel. It doesn't seem that anyone needs to pressure or convince him in this context. I think he believes in this with complete faith.”
Now, says Levin, Netanyahu will need to secure American agreement to sovereignty and also be responsible for managing the expected consequences of the move.
"I trust him to do this wisely," says Minister Levin, and we seek his assessment of the anticipated impacts across various fields, including economy, security, diplomacy, demography, and more. Levin prefers not to elaborate to avoid "giving anyone ideas," but regarding demographics, he seeks to reassure. In his view, the issue has been exaggerated beyond all proportion. "There are those who see demographics as the main concern, but it would be a mistake to give that claim too much weight. We're talking about sovereignty that doesn't include areas heavily populated by Palestinians, and would apply to an area that constitutes the vast majority of the territory."
The security message of sovereignty
Regarding the security challenge, the Minister believes that while such a challenge exists, the benefits of sovereignty in the security context outweigh the difficulties. In this regard, he presents a point for consideration:
“Declaration of sovereignty will make a powerful statement, particularly after October 7th. Those who thought that terror would discourage and scare us away will find that the opposite is true – we are strengthening and deepening our control over the land. This message is also very important from a security perspective."
We also asked for Minister Levin's response to the concern raised by settlement leaders about partial sovereignty – one that would leave Jewish communities stranded like balloons on a string of road, exposed to terror threats.
"We should aim to exercise sovereignty over the maximum territory possible, when our goal is for Jewish communities not to be isolated enclaves but part of a continuous territory with sufficiently large areas around them to foster growth and development, including access roads and all necessary infrastructure. This is the objective, and we must strive to achieve the maximum. But it’s not a matter of all or nothing; that if we don’t get it all we won’t take anything. If we operated that way, we wouldn't have progressed or established new communities anywhere. Communities have been established bit by bit, one fact on the ground by another, foot by foot in the door. We have an opportunity and we must make the most of it.”
As Justice Minister, Minister Levin will be responsible for overseeing the legal preparations for status changes in Judea and Samaria immediately after sovereignty is applied. He reassures us, explaining, “Everything is ready. As you recall, five years ago, we were supposed to return from Washington on Thursday and declare sovereignty the following Sunday. In preparation for the declaration, we had already prepared everything, from maps to government formulas and required orders, so everything is already set to go. Obviously, we'll need to make adjustments to the new configuration, but these are simple adjustments to implement when the infrastructure already exists."
He adds, "There will undoubtedly be those in the legal system who will try to interfere and cause problems, as happens all the time, but I hope these sabotage attempts won't succeed and that government members will execute the plan. We must recognize that we have been presented with a historic opportunity and that it’s time-sensitive. We must seize it without hesitation. Time is critical here. Sometimes what can be done in the morning cannot be done at night. So far, the settlement enterprise has been good at seizing opportunities, and this is how we will need to act this time too."