Ministers, members of Knesset and public figures tell us what Sovereignty means for them
Dudi Amsalem, Minister for Cyber and National Digital Matters: “To me, sovereignty is not just a dream. It is what reality demands. The little that can be done for the pioneering settlers, the salt of the earth, who just want the same conditions, rights and obligations as any other citizens of the State of Israel. Sovereignty is the soul’s desire, the hope – to be a free people in our Land, the Land of Zion and Jerusalem!”
the chairman of the National Union, MK Bezalel Smotrich: “To me, sovereignty is the continuation of the Zionist vision. A mission of the highest importance. Sovereignty is near, G-d willing, and it will continue to be of the highest priority for me, until we succeed”.
Member of Knesset Michael Malchieli (Shas): “For me, sovereignty is the possibility for every Jew to live in security in all parts of the Land of Israel, without fear. Sovereignty is giving Israeli citizens equal rights in all areas of life. Jewish sovereignty is developing spiritual and cultural life in accordance with the traditions of Israel and the Torah of Israel. Not to give Jews in the Land of Israel electricity, water, and basic needs because of bureaucratic problems, does not signify sovereignty, to say the least”.
MK Zvi Hauser (Derech Eretz), Head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee: “To me, sovereignty is the renewal of our ancient days. Realization of the Jewish People’s rights and the dream of two thousand years “.
Minister of Environment, Gila Gamliel : "Sovereignty for me is doing justice. As a minister for environmental protection, I also became aware of the environmental injustice that prevails in Judea and Samaria due to the invalidity of many environmental laws, which harms the quality of life of the Jewish residents who are dear to my heart. The people of Judea and Samaria have the right to clean air, just as in the rest of the country, and sovereignty will allow this. "
Former minister Ayub Kara: "To me, sovereignty is a pursuit of truth that is essential for the People of Israel. For me, sovereignty is now or never.
Member of Knesset Moshe Arbel (Shas): “To me, sovereignty is the fulfillment of the promise, another step in building the Land and the redemption of Israel and national interest for the State of Israel’s security”.
Member of Knesset Michal Shir (Likud): “For me, sovereignty is the natural and necessary situation. It is the right of the Jewish People to its homeland as well as a sovereign state’s right to determine its borders. No state in the world conducts itself within its territory as an alien. We must stop the reprehensible practice of behaving within the territory of the homeland as temporary dwellers, and begin to act as permanent possessors of the territory”.
Minister of Health Yoel (Yuli) Edelstein: “For me, sovereignty is an existential necessity for the People of Israel. When, in Siberian prison, I dreamed of the Land of Israel, there was no Green Line or beyond it. It was a state that took care of all its citizens without discriminating against its pioneers. When there is full sovereignty, the injustice will end”.
Member of Knesset Nir Barkat (Likud): “To me, sovereignty is the implementation of the historic right of the People of Israel in the Land of Israel, the basis of the State of Israel’s rule over the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria, and assuring that appropriate infrastructures are provided to all of her citizens”.
Member of Knesset Keren Barak of the Likud: “For me, sovereignty is a natural, simple and necessary step for the homeland of the Jewish People. Especially these days, days of crisis, the application of sovereignty is the answer and the solution. There is a critical significance to the preservation of the border and for the security of the citizens of Israel and I will not compromise on this. I will continue to act toward the application of sovereignty. I believe that the application of sovereignty will unite us as a people toward a common goal!”
ur guest columnist is the recent ambassador to the UN, former minister Danny Dannon: “For me, sovereignty is the realization of the national vision of the Jewish People returning to its Land. As a Jew, as an Israeli, as a Zionist and as a member of the national camp, Judea and Samaria are the beating heart of the State of Israel”.
Member of Knesset Amit Halevi (Likud): “For me, sovereignty is the natural thing that was stolen from us more than two thousand years ago. Despite the fact that we have returned to the Land of Israel, it seems that we have not yet become used to it, but it is our obligation and we will complete it and apply our sovereignty over all parts of our Land”.
Minister of Higher Education Ze’ev Elkin: “For me, sovereignty is the natural continuation of the Zionist process and establishing a Jewish state in the Land of Israel in the modern era. Judea and Samaria are the cradle of the Jewish People’s history. It all happened here, every stone here carries within it the memory of the days of the First and Second Temples, of King David and the Maccabees, and this is why the Jewish state, without Judea and Samaria is a body without a soul. The time has come to reconnect the soul with the body openly and officially, for the whole world to see”.
Tzipi Hotovely: “For me, sovereignty is returning to the historic justice of the Return to Zion. To connect with our roots in the Land of Israel and recognize the great miracle that happened to us with the establishment of the state and the Six Day War”.
Deputy Minister of Health, Member of Knesset Yoav Kish (Likud): “For me, sovereignty is the order of the hour”.
Member of Knesset May Golan (Likud): “To me, sovereignty is the correction of a historic injustice to the residents of Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea area. These are citizens of the State of Israel in every way and the time has come for all the countries of the world to understand this without argument.”
Member of Knesset Ariel Kellner (Likud): “To me, sovereignty is the realization of the dream of generations of the Jewish People and returning the Land that was stolen from the Jewish People to its rightful owners. Especially these days, the days of the 3 weeks “between the straits”, when we mourn the loss of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, the application of sovereignty is a great correction. We must not miss the opportunity”.
Member of Knesset Sharren Haskel (Likud): “To me, sovereignty is justice and a realization of the Zionist idea – protecting and preserving our Land and the People of Israel, recognizing that this Land is our inheritance and preserving Israeli history and culture for future generations”.
Member of Knesset Matan Kahana (Yamina): “To me, sovereignty is another level in the process of the People of Israel’s redemption. Another phase of the People of Israel’s return to its Land. Sovereignty, if it is done correctly, will bring us closer to peace and security as well”.
Deputy Minister of Education, Member of Knesset Rav Meir Porush (Yahadut HaTorah): “To me, sovereignty is: A member of the Council of Torah Sages, Rabbi Menahem Zamba, Hy”D defined it before the Holocaust – The Land of Israel is like a Torah Scroll, and in a Torah Scroll, even if one letter yod, the smallest letter, is missing, it is not complete and it is invalid. It is so as well for the Land of Israel – it belongs entirely to the Jewish People and it is forbidden that any part of it be lacking. This is our belief”.
Member of Knesset Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan: “To me, sovereignty is the life blood of the nation and a necessary condition for Israel to exist as the state of the Jewish People forever”.
Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) responds: To me, sovereignty is validated by our natural-historic right. This was always our Land and we are completing our total return to our homeland, the Land of our birth and the cradle of our culture, with the application of sovereignty in Samaria, Judea and the Jordan Valley.
Member of Knesset Ofir Sofer (Yamina): “To me, sovereignty is the continuation of the People of Israel’s return to its Land, it is an expression of national courage and recognition of: “He hath declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations” (Psalms 111:6). And when I refer to sovereignty, I am not referring to any parallel recognition of an Arab terror state in the heart of our Land”.
Member of Knesset Dr. Shlomo Karai of the Likud: "For me, sovereignty is the realization of the Jewish People’s dream, the realization of the vision of the prophets of Israel and the fulfillment of the Zionist dream. Applying sovereignty in your home, in the Land of our forefathers. “Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria… and thy children shall return to their own border” (Jeremiah 31)".
former Justice Minister, Member of Knesset Ayelet Shaked (Yamina): "Sovereignty for me is the fulfillment of the Zionist dream of the Jewish people".
the chairman of the Likud bloc in the Knesset, MK Miki Zohar: "The application of sovereignty for me is a crucial step that must be undertaken as soon as possible, and it must be applied to all the territory of the Land of Israel. Now, when there is a supportive American administration, it is incumbent upon the State of Israel to quickly exploit this historic opportunity as soon as possible, so that we do not miss the opportunity".