Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli on Sunday backed a move to extend full sovereignty over Area C of Judea and Samaria before the U.N. General Assembly in September.
“We are at a strategic crossroads ahead of September,” said the Cabinet minister, accusing French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “selling out their allies to win favor with the Islamic community and Qatar” by recognizing “Palestine” at the United Nations.
Chikli spoke during a tour of Samaria led by Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who he said was leading a “revolution” in the region.
Chikli urged Jerusalem to declare sovereignty over “all of Area C, parts of Area B that require repairs, and key heritage sites such as Mount Ebal, Shiloh and Beitar.” With a friendly administration in Washington, he added, “there may not be another diplomatic opportunity like this.”
Chikli also rejected the notion of “settlement blocs,” saying sovereignty must extend across the entire area. “We need full hold over the territory, including open spaces, not just around the communities,” he explained.
Dagan in a statement praised Chikli as “a true partner in every struggle for the Land of Israel and a central partner in the struggle to bring full sovereignty to all the communities and areas in Judea and Samaria.”
“On behalf of Samaria’s residents, I thank you for your partnership, for standing up to the world day and night, for your global advocacy and for being a driving force for the Land of Israel in the government,” he stated.
Jerusalem’s mass recognition of new Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria “is not the end—it’s the beginning,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed in a speech to local leaders last week.
“I promised 25 years ago that we would deepen our roots, and we did, together,” said Netanyahu, who was speaking at an event organized by the Binyamin Regional Council that administers southern Samaria.
“I said that we would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and we are doing it, together. I said that we would build and hold on to parts of our country, our homeland, and we are doing it,” he continued.
The Israeli government has recently warned some key European nations that any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state could prompt Jerusalem to extend sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer reportedly told France, the United Kingdom and others that the move could lead Israel to annex Area C of Judea and Samaria and legalize outposts.
“Unilateral moves against Israel will be met with unilateral moves by Israel,” Sa’ar told his counterparts, per an Israel Hayom report in May.
Almost 60% of Israeli Jews believe that civilian communities in Judea and Samaria contribute to the nation’s security, according to a survey that the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) published on March 11.
Nearly 70% of Israelis want Jerusalem to extend full legal sovereignty over the disputed territory, according to a poll conducted on Jan. 29.
