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 promised local leaders on Tuesday evening.
“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 in Samaria’s south.
“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.
“All the people here can testify that their lives have become much simpler, much more organized, and that, in many communities, you’re no longer treated as stepchildren [second-class],” he said.
Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and other Cabinet ministers and lawmakers attended the event, organized by Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz to mark the recognition or legalization of 17 existing and new Jewish communities within the council’s jurisdiction in recent months.
“We are celebrating a historic and emotional moment that represents the direct fulfillment of the Zionist vision. The legalization of 17 new communities is another step that strengthens the Judea and Samaria communities and establishes facts on the ground,” Ganz declared.
The regional leader, who also heads the Yesha Council umbrella group of Jewish communities, urged: “Now we must move forward in applying sovereignty over the regions of Binyamin and all of Judea and Samaria.”
“The people of Israel are behind you. The people of Israel are proud of you. There has never been an issue in the Knesset that received such overwhelming support. Even in the international arena, people are waiting to hear the news from here,” he told attending officials.
Israel’s Security Cabinet in May approved 22 new Jewish communities across Judea and Samaria, including two in northern Samaria that were uprooted by Israeli forces as part of the 2005 Gaza disengagement.
Some of the approved communities are existing outposts that had thus far been unauthorized under Israeli law, while others are new villages.
In addition, an Israeli government body gave final approval last week for a Judea housing project in the Jerusalem area that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said “buries the idea of a Palestinian state.”
The project involves the construction of about 3,400 housing units in the so-called E1 area of Ma’ale Adumim, located between Jerusalem and the currently built-up part of Ma’ale Adumim.
As of Jan. 1, 529,704 Jews lived in the Judea and Samaria territories, amounting to approximately 5.28% of the Jewish state’s population.
Meanwhile, 58% of Israeli Jews believe that communities in Judea and Samaria contribute to the security of the country, according to a survey 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.
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.
