The word “sovereignty” doesn’t dazzle MK Avichai Boaron. He demands to know exactly what content is being poured into that word — and warns that sovereignty limited only to the Jordan Valley could lead Israel into a trap six times worse than Gaza.
The interview first appeared in Issue 19 of Ribonut (Sovereignty).
“Everyone talks about sovereignty, but the real question is: what does it actually include? The truth lies in the details,” says MK Avichai Boaron, Likud representative of Judea and Samaria in the Knesset, who is deeply concerned about the idea of sovereignty being applied only to limited areas. The consequences, he warns, would be dramatic.
“If sovereignty is applied only to the Jordan Valley and Area C, that means 40% of Judea and Samaria — namely Areas A and B — will remain under the control of the Palestinian Authority. And those areas — from Jenin in the north through Nablus, Ramallah, East Jerusalem, all the way to Bethlehem and Hebron — are home to a hostile Arab population, openly opposed to the State of Israel.”
Boaron provides further geographic context for those unfamiliar with the details: “This is a stretch of land more than six times larger than the Gaza Strip. While Gaza covers just 350 square kilometers, this territory covers about 2,200 square kilometers.”
He also emphasizes the critical strategic difference: “Unlike Gaza, which is at the edge of Israel, this territory spans nearly the entire length of the country and overlooks its largest population centers.” “And in that area lives a population where 82% supported the October 7 massacre. It’s effectively under Hamas control, which is precisely why there haven’t been any elections there. We must not abandon this region. Instead, we must apply sovereignty over all open areas in Areas A and B.”
“Out of those 2,200 square kilometers, less than 1,000 are built-up areas. The rest are open land, and Israel must take sovereign and settlement control over those spaces — not just military. That’s where Israeli boots must be on the ground.”
Like Balloons on a String — And a Looming Rocket Threat
Boaron warns that any sovereignty plan excluding the open areas will turn communities in the hill country into vulnerable, isolated outposts: “They’ll become like balloons hanging on strings of roads — narrow corridors leading to exposed towns like Har Bracha, Yitzhar, Elon Moreh, Shiloh, Beit El, Samoa, Yatir, Otniel, and many more.”
“It’s only a matter of time before the PA chokes off these communities by building right up to their fences. That’s already happening. It’s our duty to stop the demographic and territorial expansion of the Arab population in the hill region — it could turn into a devastating threat.”
Boaron draws on the painful lessons of October 7 to reinforce his point: “We can’t keep putting up walls and pretending nothing’s happening behind them. The idea of ‘they’re there, we’re here, and peace will follow’ is dead. Everyone now understands that the disengagement from Gaza planted the seeds for the horrors of October 7.”
“To gain control over these 2,200 square kilometers in the heart of the country — just minutes away by motorcycle from Israel’s major cities — we must maintain physical, civilian presence, not just rely on optical fibers, cameras, and remote weapon systems.”
“Only civilian settlement — in the form of dozens of farms and towns — brings in the military and security forces needed to hold the ground. Without that, we’re essentially building a Gaza Strip six times larger, run by a Hamas-style jihadi regime backed by a terror-supporting population.”
The PA's Long-Term Strategy: A State with Contiguous Territory
To support his warning, Boaron cites a report from Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence from a few years ago, which outlines the long-term strategy of the Palestinian Authority. The report warns of an even broader goal — extending beyond Judea and Samaria:
“The Palestinians aim to establish a state with contiguous territory, creating a continuous, populated strip between the scattered islands of Areas A and B, enabling full internal connectivity in Judea and Samaria, including links to East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. They also seek to connect their state to areas inside Israel with Arab majority populations, including Bedouin settlements in the Negev.”
This report, Boaron argues, makes it even clearer why Israel must apply sovereignty over all the open areas in Judea and Samaria: “It’s not just about stopping terror — it’s about preventing the formation of a territorial threat that could engulf the country from within.”