Latest news with #JudeaAndSamaria
National Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
Dan Illouz: Canada should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, not a Palestinian state
Article content The appropriate response to such barbarism is not to reward it, but to ensure it never happens again. The path to a different future starts not with fantasy, but with truth. And the truth is that there is only one state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea — the State of Israel. It's time for the world to affirm that fact by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, otherwise known as the West Bank. Article content This is not annexation or displacement. It is the formal application of Israeli law to the historic homeland of the Jewish people, and the recognition that this land belongs to the Jewish people by historical, moral and legal right. Article content Judea and Samaria are not foreign territories. They are the cradle of Jewish civilization — Hebron, Shiloh and, yes, Jerusalem. These are not just symbols. They are tangible evidence of a deep-rooted, continuous indigenous presence. Article content In 1920, the League of Nations recognized the right of the Jewish people to re-establish their national home in this territory through the Mandate for Palestine. The modern State of Israel is the natural inheritor of that mandate. No other sovereign power has taken its place. Article content For decades, Israel has governed parts of these areas under a temporary military framework — not because it lacked legitimacy, but because of a lack of political clarity. Applying sovereignty would end that ambiguity. It would normalize governance, solidify borders and protect all residents under a unified legal system — one grounded in the principles of Israeli democracy and the rule of law. Article content October 7 shattered illusions. It showed that Hamas does not want compromise, it wants carnage. It also made clear that the Palestinian Authority, which is mired in corruption and glorifies terror, offers no credible alternative. Article content To recognize a Palestinian state now would be to embolden both. It would say that the world has learned nothing, that violence is tolerable if packaged as diplomacy and that democratic countries can be pressured into moral surrender. Article content Recognizing Israeli sovereignty, by contrast, would send the opposite message: that terror has consequences, not rewards; that borders are not determined by rockets and massacres, but by law, history and moral clarity; and that the world still knows how to distinguish right from wrong. Article content Article content This is not an argument against Palestinian dignity or hope. It is an argument against a Palestinian leadership that has destroyed both. Hamas has turned Gaza into a graveyard, and the Palestinian Authority has failed its own people. Article content The Palestinian people will not be helped by more foreign resolutions or symbolic gestures. They will be helped by stability, security and truth. Only when the fantasy of destroying Israel is finally abandoned — and when terror no longer brings results — can something new begin to grow. Article content That is what sovereignty offers: not an end to the conflict, but an end to the illusion — a firm, reality-based foundation for moving forward. Article content Canada was among the first countries in the world to recognize the State of Israel. It was an act of courage, clarity and of leadership. Article content That same clarity is needed now. Canada should not follow the crowd toward a dangerous fiction. It should lead by recognizing what history has always known and what law has always affirmed: that Judea and Samaria are part of the Jewish homeland, and that the State of Israel is the only legitimate sovereign in the Land of Israel. Article content Article content Article content
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Critics Spot The Same Red Flag In State Dept. Spox's Evasive Answer
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce raised eyebrows Tuesday with how she dodged a question about official U.S. policy. During a press briefing, Bruce was asked whether U.S. foreign policy aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) claim that the West Bank — which he referred to as 'Judea and Samaria' — belongs to the Jewish people. Bruce brushed off the comment, suggesting it was simply Johnson's 'opinion.' But when pressed on whether the U.S. government shared Johnson's view, the former Fox News personality's answer sparked confusion. 'Well, I'm not going to speak about opinion of the government,' Bruce said. She added: 'And if there's a policy regarding the status in any region of the world — but certainly in the Middle East — I would wait to hear it from Secretary Rubio and President Trump.' Watch here: Critics questioned Bruce's apparent unwillingness to speak on behalf of the government that she is paid to speak on behalf of: Related... Critics Mock Kristi Noem's 'Stupid' Nickname For New Migrant Jail Jake Tapper Roasts Trump's War On Numbers With Taunting New Tagline Trump Flips Out At Yet Another TV Star: 'No Talent, No Ratings, No Strength!!!'
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judea and Samaria a part of Israel, US will work to end use of term West Bank, Mike Johnson says
The meeting followed an unprecedented official visit to the city of Ariel by a delegation of senior Trump administration officials and members of Congress led by Johnson. US House Speaker Mike Johnson took part in a historic meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Shiloh on Monday evening, marking the first high-level meeting held between a prime minister and a senior American official in the West Bank. His meeting with Netanyahu followed an unprecedented official visit to the city of Ariel by a delegation of senior Trump administration officials and members of Congress led by the speaker. Johnson, who is the third-highest-ranking official in the US political system, said in Ariel that he would work to stop the use of the term 'West Bank' at the federal level, instead promoting the exclusive use of the term 'Judea and Samaria.' Yesha Council: Trump admin. sees West Bank as part of Israel The visit by the speaker marked the peak of a campaign by the Yesha Council to promote the application of Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank. A few weeks ago, the council passed by a large majority a declaration calling for sovereignty to be applied in the area, stating that 'Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley are an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, the historical, cultural, and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people.' Yesha Council director-general Omer Rahamim told The Jerusalem Post that the US sees the region as part of Israel, with the responsibility to apply sovereignty now in Israel's hands. In his visit, Johnson was joined by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his daughter, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen strategic ties between Israel and the US and deepen familiarity with the area, with an emphasis on the public discourse in the US surrounding Israeli sovereignty in the region. During a gathering in Ariel with senior members of the Yesha Council, including Rahamim, chairman Israel Ganz, and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Johnson said, 'Every corner of this land is important to us. It is an inseparable part of our faith, and therefore, its meaning to us is tremendous. But to be here, exactly where you are, at the true cradle of our beliefs, is even more significant.' Gov. Huckabee Sanders, who was present at the event, was the first US state official to pass a resolution to exclusively use the term 'Judea and Samaria.' Her father said he tells people that God gave Israel a tiny strip of land, perhaps the most contested land in the world, and said, 'This is yours.' He added that 'America has many friends and allies, but truly only one genuine partner, and that is Israel.' Ganz said it was a great honor to host Johnson. 'The American administration under President [Donald] Trump is choosing the right side of history and walking hand in hand with the State of Israel,' He stated that the recognition of the West Bank as part of Israel will lead to prosperity and improve living conditions for all residents. He thanked the delegation for its support in advancing this vision. Ariel Mayor Yair Chetboun added that hosting this summit was a national and diplomatic mission. He expressed pride that Ariel, the 'capital of Samaria,' was chosen for the historic meeting, and thanked the US administration, Trump, and his team for their support. The Yesha Council's recognition campaign Some six months ago, the Yesha Council established a task force to lead efforts to push for sovereignty in the West Bank. The task force, which includes Ganz, Dagan, and Rahamim, is responsible for advancing the initiative with the Trump administration. Rahamim told the Post that following recent developments, the responsibility for applying sovereignty now rests with the government. He said it is time to correct the injustice whereby more than half a million Israeli citizens live under military rule. He emphasized that Johnson's historic visit demonstrates the deep bond and strong alliance between America's senior leadership and the Jewish communities in the region. According to him, the fact that an American official of such rank visited the West Bank for the first time ever proves that the United States also sees the region as an integral part of the State of Israel.
Al Jazeera
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli parliament approves symbolic motion on West Bank annexation
Israel's parliament has approved a symbolic measure calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank. Knesset lawmakers voted 71-13 in favour of the motion on Wednesday, a non-binding vote which calls for 'applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley' – the Israeli terms for the area. It said that annexing the West Bank 'will strengthen the state of Israel, its security and prevent any questioning of the fundamental right of the Jewish people to peace and security in their homeland'. The motion, advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is declarative and has no direct legal implications, though it could place the issue of annexation on the agenda of future debates in the parliament. The idea was initially brought forward last year by Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who himself lives in an illegal Israeli settlement and holds a position within Israel's Ministry of Defence, where he oversees the administration of the West Bank and its settlements. The West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. Since then, Israeli settlements have expanded, despite being illegal under international law and, in the case of settlement outposts, Israeli law. Palestinian leaders want all three territories for a future state. Some 3 million Palestinians and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers currently reside in the West Bank. Annexation of the West Bank could make it impossible to create a viable Palestinian state, which is seen internationally as the most realistic way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last year, the Israeli parliament approved a similar symbolic motion declaring opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Hussein al-Sheikh, deputy to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said the motion was 'a direct assault on the rights of the Palestinian people', which 'undermines the prospects for peace, stability and the two-state solution'. 'These unilateral Israeli actions blatantly violate international law and the ongoing international consensus regarding the status of the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank,' he wrote in a post on X. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement that it strongly rejects any motion for annexation. The ministry stressed that the 'colonial measures' reinforce a system of apartheid in the West Bank and reflect a 'blatant disregard' for many United Nations resolutions and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which was issued in July 2024. The statement, carried by the official Palestinian Wafa news agency, also warned that such actions deliberately undermine the prospects of implementing a two-state solution. The ministry added that while settlement expansion continues, de facto annexation is already occurring on a daily basis. Following Israel's deadly war on Gaza, Israeli forces have intensified attacks on Palestinian towns and villages in the occupied West Bank, displacing thousands of Palestinians and killing hundreds. Settlers, often backed by Israeli soldiers, have also escalated assaults on Palestinians, their land, and property.
Arab News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli Likud party ministers urge Netanyahu to annex West Bank
Cabinet ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party called on Wednesday for Israel to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank before the Knesset recesses at the end of the month. They issued a petition ahead of Netanyahu's meeting next week with US President Donald Trump, where discussions are expected to center on a potential 60-day Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. The petition was signed by 15 cabinet ministers and Amir Ohana, speaker of the Knesset, Israel's parliament. There was no immediate response from the prime minister's office. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, long a confidant of Netanyahu, did not sign the petition. He has been in Washington since Monday for talks on Iran and Gaza. 'We ministers and members of Knesset call for applying Israeli sovereignty and law immediately on Judea and Samaria,' they wrote, using the biblical names for the West Bank captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Their petition cited Israel's recent achievements against both Iran and Iran's allies and the opportunity afforded by the strategic partnership with the US and support of Trump. It said the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel demonstrated that the concept of Jewish settlement blocs alongside the establishment of a Palestinian state poses an existential threat to Israel. 'The task must be completed, the existential threat removed from within, and another massacre in the heart of the country must be prevented,' the petition stated. Most countries regard Jewish settlements in the West Bank, many of which cut off Palestinian communities from one another, as a violation of international law. With each advance of Israeli settlements and roads, the West Bank becomes more fractured, further undermining prospects for a contiguous land on which Palestinians could build a sovereign state long envisaged in Middle East peacemaking. Israel's pro-settler politicians have been emboldened by the return to the White House of Trump, who has proposed Palestinians leave Gaza, a suggestion widely condemned across the Middle East and beyond.
