by Shai Alon, Beit El Mayor, translated by Hillel Fendel.
Donald Trump's historic victory in the US elections opens the door for
immediate and welcome changes for the half-million-plus Jewish residents of
Judea and Samaria (Yesha). Israel must utilize the circumstances and work for
complete Israeli sovereignty in Yesha – and for the removal of the baseless personal
sanctions the State Department has imposed upon individual Jews there.
Trump's win received two
extra underscores with the Republican victory in the Senate, and what appears
to be the same in the House of Representatives. For at least the next two
years, therefore, until the mid-term House elections, the situation appears
very promising.
In his first term, as is known, Trump displayed very strong support for
Israel and its interests. He took a series of measures that greatly upgraded
Israel's status in its own land and around the world. His recognition of
Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the transfer of the US Embassy
to Jerusalem, changed the very ground rules. And the historic Abraham Accords between
Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain opened the gates
for a promising and stable future in the Middle East.
These were not merely symbolic gestures, but full-throated shows of
practical support for Israel, in deeds and not only words, that until then had
been practically unthinkable.
Unfortunately, Trump was replaced by an outwardly friendly Biden
Administration, but which continued, even after Oct. 7th, to work
tirelessly for a two-state solution with our neighbors, Hamas/Fatah, as if
nothing had happened.
Now, with Trump's return to the White House for his last four years as
President, it is incumbent upon us to know how to open this window of
opportunity, for the benefit of the settlement enterprise in Yesha and to
strengthen Israel's hold over the entire Land of Israel.
As mentioned, the recent months and years under Biden were not at all
simple for Israel. His administration's approach was close to a direct
continuation of the confrontational line taken by the Obama regime before
Trump's first victory. It will be recalled that Biden was Obama's VP then, and
it is a fairly open secret that Obama played a large, behind-the-scenes role in
the Biden-Harris administration as well.
The now-outgoing US government's conception of what the Middle East must
look like stood many times in stark contrast to Israel's view, interests, and
core values – and even many times to the United States' core values. We found
ourselves having to deal with foreign pressures not only preventing us from
decisively defeating Hamas, but also forcing us to restrict Jewish construction – enacting almost
a de facto freeze – in Judea and Samaria.
Sanctions
The Biden Administration even went so far as to impose personal sanctions
against individuals and organizations active in Yesha on behalf of the Jewish
People. This is a disrespectful and even dictatorial move that represents a
blatantly brazen intervention in Israel's internal policies. The sanctions were
not even only economic. Their objective was rather to restrict the growth of
the Jewish communities and signal the essential American opposition to the
existence of more than a half-million Jews in these areas.
The severity of these sanctions is such that the routine lives of the
affected Jews became intolerable. The incoming Administration must nullify
these sanctions on Day One, in order to assure Israel's sovereignty as an
independent country, and to enable the residents of Yesha to continue to build
their lives in freedom.
We recall Trump's “Middle East Peace Plan,” also known as the
“peace plan of the
century,” which was unveiled in early 2020 (just around when the Coronavirus
was beginning to make its infamous mark around the world). Now, after what
happened outside Gaza on Simchat Torah last year, its vision of a Palestinian
state alongside Israel is no longer relevant. Between the Jordan River and the
Mediterranean Sea there must be only one sovereign state: the State of Israel!
What we must do now, therefore, is to push full steam ahead to promote and
advance the establishment of Israel's sovereignty over every Jewish-populated
area in Yesha. After 57 years of living here, it is inconceivable that the Jews
are still subservient to military orders issued by the official governor,
namely, the IDF Central Command. The IDF's civil administration over Yesha must
be abolished, and the Jewish populace here must be a totally integral part of
the State of Israel under the law.
With President Trump in office, the matter of security in Yesha can also
face historical changes. We cannot overlook the fact of the PA military mechanisms
that possess huge amounts of armored vehicles and weapons, which in an instant
can turn into a threatening scenario against Israel, as happened in the second
intifada - and as we are witnessing these very days in the shooting incidents by
PA police officers.
The sense of security here, and the very lives of the residents of Yesha,
are in constant danger, and this situation cannot continue. The military bodies
of Fatah and of the other terrorist organizations must be disarmed, and the
area must be completely cleansed of the many illegal weapons that abound. Only
Israeli forces may possess weapons and have security authority in the area.
These are absolutely necessary moves that can only be implemented when President
Trump assumes his old-new office. We wish him the best of success!