Minister of Intelligence and Transportation Yisrael Katz repeats his call for the Application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and the establishment of Greater Jerusalem, which will include Ma’ale Adumim, Gush Etzion and more.
In an interview for the newspaper Makor Rishon (June 23, 2017), the Minister of Transportation and Intelligence, Minister Yisrael Katz, repeats his call for the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and the promotion of the plan to establish a unified metropolis of Jerusalem that will include Gush Etzion, Ma’ale Adumim and other areas. We find it suitable at this time to mention again the details of the plan by the minister, who is considered to be one of the leading and most significant members of the ruling party, and who has an excellent chance to inherit the prime minister’s seat after the era of Netanyahu. We first presented the plan as part of an interview with Minister Katz for the 4th issue of the Sovereignty Journal.
We first note that in the interview for Makor Rishon, Minister Katz stated that the government of Israel must clarify a number of principles to the world and to the Americans, especially the statement that no community will be moved. This, he stated, will remove from the agenda any argument on the subject of building in Judea and Samaria. “We must understand that talking about blocs of settlement is foolish and this will never happen”, adding that Israeli must take another decision, which is “the application of sovereignty”.
As mentioned, in the interview for the Sovereignty Journal as well, Minister Katz presented the policy that he envisions, which includes the gradual application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. “I envision autonomy for the Arab residents such as was determined at Camp David. This was the most correct approach and it is a pity that this discussion was stopped. Every attempt to go in the direction of a Palestinian state is doomed to failure at the outset. I am talking about autonomy with a civil connection to Jordan and in the future, some kind of political connection to Jordan; an autonomy that will allow them to conduct their own lives except for foreign affairs or security matters”.
According to him, the path leading to sovereignty goes through that which he defined as a “battle of penetration”, a battle where the enemy’s weak point is identified and through that point, we break through toward the turning point. According to his claim and his understanding, the weak point of the political enemy, the Left, is Jerusalem. Katz asserts that building a greater metropolitan area whose center is Jerusalem, but which includes more than a few of the cities and smaller communities surrounding Jerusalem over the Green Line, will be the leverage with which it will be possible to promote the plan for comprehensive sovereignty.
In his plan for Greater Jerusalem, Minister Katz intends to include Ma’ale Adumim, Beitar Ilit, Givat Ze’ev and Gush Etzion. Israeli sovereignty will be applied in these areas – a system of logistics, transportation and infrastructure will unite these municipalities under one roof while maintaining municipal independence in many fields.
Katz finds an example of this sort of model in the European capitals. He says that any Londoner or Parisian who hears about the idea would consider it to be obvious. This is how it is for them and there is no reason that it should not be like this for us too.
Katz is convinced that it will be difficult for the Left to present a resolute objection to the idea of expanding Jerusalem. This would not constitute any sort of demographic threat, he reminds us. All of the Zionist parties, on the Left and certainly on the Right, repeatedly state that these areas will be part of the State of Israel in any future agreement. For those who oppose the idea, only the issue of timing will remain, arguing that would demand a somewhat difficult political and public relations battle. Nevertheless, the process could be defined as quite simple, because of the position of the Israeli public and also in light of the positions of Israel’s friends in the United States, in Congress and outside of it, regarding Jerusalem and its importance.
“There will be a battle here”, he knows. “I am openly leading a battle to the best of my strength and ability. I will let my friends in the Knesset lead the legislation and I will fight to arrive at a majority among the government. It is a process that has not been done since the Six Day War and clearly, there will be a battle here, but in my opinion, the time is ripe and the idea is correct. This will serve as a catalyst for the rest of the things that should be done in Judea and Samaria, but at this phase, it seems to me that it is a quality thing around which maximum support can be mobilized”.
While we are fighting for some structure to be built, as important as it might be, or for important marginal building in any community, let’s fight for the larger thing. Let’s stand all of these leaders (of the Left) against Jerusalem and our right to Jerusalem. A supportive atmosphere among the public will cause a significant erosion of their position”.