by Bet El Mayor Shai Alon, translated by Hillel Fendel
Here we go again. Once more, it's "not the right time" for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. Once again, there are more important things on the agenda. Once again, historic justice and the placement of facts on the ground so critical for the future of the State of Israel are shunted aside, in favor of written agreements and (hollow) applause in capitals around the world.
Bet El Institutions is currently completing the construction of 20 housing units in a 7-story building on the northern hill that will mostly house families connected to the Yeshiva via work or study.
Furthermore, additional plans for residential construction, and construction of classrooms, are in final stages of approval.
Concurrently, work continues on the site of 300 new housing units for Bet El residents. The foundations of some of the 8-story buildings are already completed, and it is estimated that by Passover families will be able to move into several of the buildings.
Based on article originally published on myesha.org.il, translated and edited by Hillel Fendel
Want another set of reasons for why Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria is so important? Here you go:
Israel's State Comptroller released a critical report this week on the operations of the Civil Administration – the IDF body that governs Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley (the area also known as "Yesha") for the State of Israel. The report addresses the ways in which the Civil Administration fulfills its duties towards very basic and important parts of the lives of every Israeli in these areas – and it's not pretty.
Let us firstly explain that after the Six Day War in 1967, Yesha was never formally annexed or incorporated as part of Israel. It was therefore governed by a "military government" – just as parts of the Galilee were governed for several years after the War of Independence. The Galilee eventually became a full-fledged part of Israel, but this has not yet happened for Yesha. Instead, the Camp David Accords of 1981 between Israel and Egypt stipulated that the governing body in Yesha would be an IDF Civil Administration. The Administration is subordinate to the Defense Ministry's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) - it is a military body.
The State Comptroller's criticism notes that many of the problems it lists in the performance of the Civil Administration have been ongoing for years. Some of the report's main points are as follows:
Interface between the Civil Administration and government offices – Most government ministries do not have effective supervision over their own representatives in Yesha. The ministries are thus not sufficiently able to actualize their policies in Yesha.
Non-advancement of land registration arrangements in Jewish residential areas in Yesha – Ongoing disputes between the Civil Administration and the Ministry of Justice prevent or impede land registration arrangements from being advanced. This harms Israeli residents' ability to register and sell their property and even to receive mortgages. Even the computerization of land registration in Yesha has been held up because of this.
Palestinian Workers: Rights and Security - Work permits are illegally sold and traded, and illegal payments are levied upon workers, partially because of the lack of implementation of a Cabinet decision on the matter.
In addition, the work permit policy is not sufficiently supervised and enforced, causing a grave security danger.
PA workers in the Land Registry Unit – A Palestinian worker in the Land Registry unit that provides services to the Palestinian population was arrested by the Palestinian Authority – yet no Civil Administration or other security source has looked into the likelihood that information was leaked to the PA as a result.
The Yesha Council notes that it has been attempting for many years to call attention to the many problems involved in the fact that a military body runs the daily lives of the Israeli citizens in Yesha. The government ministries are hampered in providing them proper services, given that they must pass through the hands of the military personnel who both decide and execute them. Problems are evident particularly in the areas of public transportation, roads, land registry, water, electricity, environmental protection, archaeology, planning, and more.
The situation is such that service in civilian matters passes through a military filter, creating gaps and discrimination against Israelis living in Yesha.
What is needed now more than ever is a basic and fundamental change and rectification. The only just solution to all the problems raised by the Comptroller is to apply complete Israeli law in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. This is the logical conclusion of the Comptroller's report.
Only Israeli sovereignty over these areas will be able to solve these problems and end the discrimination against Israeli citizens in Yesha.