Friends,
The activity of the sovereignty movement ahead of the elections is making waves in the media, including the one affiliated with the left.
Today we were pleasantly surprised to find a detailed article reviewing the movement’s activity ahead of the elections in this mornings’ YNET (Ynet is Yediot Acharonot on internet).
It turns out that even the media can no longer ignore: the people and the leaders want sovereignty!
For the original Hebrew article https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5460007,00.html
For the video of the ministers, deputy Ministers and MK’s calling for Sovereignty:
Translation into English by Sally Zahav:
Ministers and Members of Knesset in favor of the Movement to Annex Judea and Samaria
Ynet Dror Liba 12-2-2019
The Sovereignty Movement is working to enlist the support of members of Knesset and ministers. It focuses its efforts on the Likud, but MKs from Yesh Atid are also photographed in the film.
The issue of annexing Judea and Samaria to Israel is one of the most explosive matters, politically and diplomatically. The international community objects to the annexation of these territories because it would totally eliminate the possibility of a two-state solution, while on the Israeli Right there are many who support the idea.
About one year ago, in an embarrassing incident between Israel and the United States, the White House denied that there had been any conversation between Washington and Jerusalem on the subject of sovereignty. At that time, the matter under discussion was the Sovereignty Law, proposed by MKs of the Likud. In order to stop it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had discussed it with the Americans. After having vehemently denied any such conversation, the White House demanded that Netanyahu issue a public clarification explaining that he had only updated Washington about the initiatives that had been raised in the Knesset.
Trump’s “Deal of the Century” for peace between Israel and the Palestinians will not be presented before the elections on the 9th of April, but as the initiative continues to resonate in the
background – it is evident that there is a considerable amount of activity promoting the idea of the application of Israeli law in the territories.
The Sovereignty Movement, which, in recent years, has gained strength and influence especially among Likud members, is a subsidiary of Women in Green, which was established by Rightist activists Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar. The two women regularly participate in demonstrations in Judea and Samaria.
MKs call for the application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria
In recent years, the movement has been investing its efforts in influencing members of the Likud and its members act constantly to strengthen support for the idea of annexation, or sovereignty. At the Leumiada last month in Eilat, there was a panel discussion led by the movement entitled “The Application of Sovereignty”. The panel included Ministers Ze’ev Elkin, Haim Katz and Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely.
On the movement’s YouTube channel there are film clips of many ministers, deputy ministers and members of Knesset who support its goals – among these are Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked from the Hayamin Hahadash, Miri Regev, Yariv Levin, Gila Gamliel and Ofir Akunis of the Likud, Elazar Stern from Yesh Atid and many more.
Akunis stated: “First of all, we remove the idea of a Palestinian state from the agenda. Secondly, we must take courageous, difficult and challenging decisions, which will be unpalatable to the international community. First and foremost, apply sovereignty in Area C. Area C is an area with a clear Jewish, Israeli majority, with a negligible presence of the Palestinian minority”.
According to Gamliel, “It is our duty to strengthen the settlement in Judea and Samaria, to apply Israeli law in all of Judea and Samaria”. In the film, Levin said: “The application of Israeli sovereignty throughout the entire Land of Israel is, in my opinion, not a question of if, but only a question of how we do it and when will we will do it”.
The movement also publishes the Sovereignty Journal, which contains various articles in support of the application of sovereignty in the territories of Judea and Samaria. Recently, it has included articles by several prominent Likud members such as Gideon Sa’ar, Elkin and Gila Gamliel. In the recent elections for the local authorities, the movement called on voters to vote only for candidates who had committed themselves to act toward the application of sovereignty. Among other things, it also holds conferences and seminars for the youth who support the movement’s vision.
The movement’s influence on the Likud was apparent even at the end of 2017, when the party’s Central Committee approved a declaration stating that the party supports the annexation of the territories. As part of the decision, it was written that “at the fulfillment of a jubilee of years since the liberation of Judea and Samaria – including Jerusalem, our eternal capital, the Likud Central Committee calls on Likud elected representatives to act to allow unrestricted building and to apply Israeli law and sovereignty in the entire expanse of the liberated settlement in Judea and Samaria”.
In the context of its activism, the movement benefits from funding by donors, especially through the Central Fund for Israel, which operates in New York and is headed by the Marcus family. This private fund raises donations from Jews living in the U.S. and transfers them to Israeli parties identified with the Right.
Other organizations that enjoy support by the fund are Im Tirzu, Honenu and Forum Kohelet. The Sovereignty Movement has received donations amounting to a million and a half shekels from the fund.
In reaction to the article, Commanders for Israel’s Security relates: “Now the radical Right’s method of acting to annex millions of Palestinians is exposed. Under the radar, a tiny radical Rightist group is acting in order that the next government will implement its plan. While a majority of the public in the State of Israel understands the disastrous significance of annexation and objects to it vehemently, it is not aware of the steps being taken to bring about this horrible scenario, the Sovereignty Movement is determining facts on the ground, enlisting politicians from the radical Right, and is preparing the infrastructure for the process to be implemented”.