Jewish leaders and decision makers in Judea and Samaria expressed support on Thursday for Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proposals aimed at thwarting Iranian-backed terrorism in the region.
The minister’s outline, presented on Monday, calls for widespread strikes on terrorist infrastructure, along with airstrikes against gunmen appearing at parades and funerals, legislation promoting the death penalty for terrorists, setting up roadblocks outside terrorist strongholds, and more.
Ben-Gvir announced the plan following Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” against the Iranian regime. “There is no difference between Tehran and Jenin,” and therefore Israel should act accordingly, the proposal states.
Israel Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of local authorities in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, told JNS that Iran is building frontline terrorist bases in the region as it does throughout the Middle East.
“The significant blow that Israel and the U.S. have dealt Tehran must be reflected in continued proactive efforts to uproot terror and terrorist organizations here,” he said.
Ganz stressed that failing this, Israel will continue to be threatened—this time not 2,000 kilometers away from its borders, but rather one kilometer from its major cities’ downtowns.
“If we want to complete the mission, we must eradicate all the metastases of terror that are here on the ground,” he said.
Ganz added that at the same time, Israel must work toward establishing sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, so those areas will be forever part of the State of Israel.
He said his office is working with all elected officials and government ministers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to advance this.
“Furthermore, we are mobilizing international support for the process of applying sovereignty, and there is no doubt that this support is gaining momentum among large sectors in the U.S.,” Ganz said.
Military victories into diplomatic achievements
The Sovereignty Movement, co-chaired by Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover, told JNS that Ben-Gvir, along with others demanding significant military action against the terrorists and their supporters in Judea and Samaria, is on the right track.
“Judea and Samaria are teeming with weapons and terrorists who have sworn to bring about the end of the State of Israel,” the NGO said.
The terrorists enjoy support from the Palestinian public and leadership, the movement added.
“We must act against them and their backers with the same decisiveness and determination that Israel showed toward Iran—not in the drawn-out manner still characterizing the IDF’s activity in Gaza,” it said.
However, similar to comments made by Ganz, the movement said striking Israel’s enemies militarily is not enough.
“We have to once and for all translate military victories into political and diplomatic achievements. Dismantling all the terrorist organizations, including the Palestinian Authority, must be followed by the next step—sovereignty.”
The Sovereignty Movement concluded by saying that applying sovereignty over the entire area would be a clear expression of Israel’s intention to remain there permanently and to prevent any possibility of a future Arab national uprising.
Safer for all inhabitants
Natalie Sopinsky, director of development for the Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) NGO, which provides emergency medical care and documents every terrorist attack in Judea and Samaria, told JNS her organization supports the plan. She pointed out that her group has been working nonstop since Oct. 8, 2023, supporting communities with essential first-response equipment as a result of the terrorist threat.
“We believe Ben-Gvir’s plan forcefully targeting the terrorists in our area will help to decrease attacks, making life safer for all inhabitants, Jews and non-Jews alike,” she said.
Dismantle the Palestinian Authority
With the substantial weakening of the Iranian terror axis, now is the time for Israel to address the situation in Judea and Samaria, Maurice Hirsch, director of the Initiative for Palestinian Authority Accountability and Reform at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs and the former director of the Military Prosecution for Judea and Samaria, told JNS.
Adopting a heavy-handed approach to terrorism is the right direction, but this is insufficient, he said. “Israel must act to deal with the root cause of the terror, admit the failure of the Oslo Accords, and act without delay, not only to sanction P.A. leaders, but to dismantle the entire P.A.,” said Hirsch.
While the Hamas terrorists were the physical executioners of the October 7, 2023, massacre, “they derive their spiritual leadership from and share the aspirations of the P.A., which for years has brainwashed the Palestinians to strive for Israel’s destruction,” he said.
Neither Tehran nor Gaza
On the other hand, a long-time security chief from Judea and Samaria, who declined to be identified, told JNS that Ben-Gvir’s plan would actually lead to an escalation in terrorist attacks.
“If Ben-Gvir is suggesting that the IDF increase operations against terrorist strongholds, I agree 100%. … But Judea and Samaria are not Tehran, nor Gaza,” he said.
He pointed out that there are half a million Jews living within the area, and any escalation as described by Ben-Gvir would provoke a violent response from the other side.
According to the security expert, Ben-Gvir’s plan would lead to an increase in terrorist attacks on the roads and against communities.
“His statement shows that he lacks the understanding of warfare and the situation on the ground,” he said, adding that people should bear in mind that ordinary citizens live in Judea and Samaria who travel, work and visit their grandchildren.
“Apparently, Ben-Gvir forgets this, and it shows his ignorance regarding the situation. As a minister in the government of Israel, in charge of security, I would expect his statements to be more exact and accurate rather than just blurting out emotions.”
Going on for centuries
Yehudit Tayar, a long-time spokesperson for the communities of Judea and Samaria, who was also a pioneer in security and rescue in the region, told JNS that Ben-Gvir’s plan is very realistic.
“The terror within our eternal homeland has been going on for centuries—way before the establishment of the State of Israel. No matter where the terror directed toward our nation is coming from, it must be eliminated as soon as possible and permanently,” she said.
A request for comment on the plan from the Civil Administration’s spokesperson’s office went unanswered.