ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY, COALITION GOVERNMENT AND THE PEACE PROCESS

MK Yuli Edelstein, Knesset Speaker
“We need not fear the international reaction to the application of sovereignty. We must apply sovereignty gradually and practically”.
(Sovereignty Conference 3, Jerusalem, 2013)

MK Yisrael Katz, Minister of Transportation
“A first step in the battle for sovereignty in Judea and Samaria – establishing Greater Jerusalem, which will spread far beyond the Green Line. The time is ripe and the idea is right…”
(Sovereignty Journal 4, 2014)

MK Zeev Elkin, Minister of Immigration and Jerusalem Affairs
“We will try to apply sovereignty on the maximum possible area whenever we can,,, I propose that we learn from the Arabs and adopt the “salami method” – step after step.”
(Sovereignty Conference 3, Jerusalem, 2013)

MK Miri Regev, Minister of Culture and Sport
“I established the lobby to apply sovereignty over the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as a start. I have not given up on sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria. The process of the application of sovereignty over the communities is meant to help, first and foremost, the government to begin with a step, and afterward, to do what the platform of the Likud demands – to complete Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.” (Sovereignty Conference 1, Hebron, Summer, 2011)

MK Yariv Levin, Minister of Tourism
“We must apply the legislation in the spirit of sovereignty as much as possible” (Sovereignty Journal 6, 2015)

MK Ofir Akunis, Minister of Science
“Our right to the Land is an eternal and irrevocable right. No people would surrender its homeland”
(Sovereignty Journal 5, 2015)

MK Ayelet Shaked, Minister of Justice
“We really want to change the equation and application of sovereignty is the solution”.

MK Tzipi Hotovely, Deputy Foreign Minister
The goal is that Judea and Samaria will be under Israeli sovereignty”
(Sovereignty Journal 2, 2014)

MK Ayoob Kara, Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation
“We must apply Israeli law in all areas where there are Jewish communities, keep the military in the Jordan Valley and return to the plan where all the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria will be residents of Jordan”
(Sovereignty Journal 4, 2014)

Our ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon
“We have a clear position of objection to a Palestinian state and if anyone wants to change this position, he can come for a discussion. But at the moment, the official position of the Likud is objection to a Palestinian state”
(Sovereignty Journal 3, 2014)

MK Miki Zohar
“Cancel the accursed Oslo Accords”
(Sovereignty Journal 6, 2015)

MK Haim Katz, Minister of Welfare
“A declaration of commitment to Judea and Samaria is required, as it was for the Golan”.

MK Gila Gamliel, Minister of Social Equality
“It is our obligation to strengthen the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. To apply Israeli law in all of Judea and Samaria”.

MK Yoav Kish, Head of the Land of Israel Lobby
“The time has come to apply sovereignty, to build, to strengthen the entire Land of Israel – our task in the Knesset is to do this by legislation and to give a tailwind to the people in the field to strengthen the settlement enterprise in the Land of Israel”.

MK Yehuda Glick
“Now, when there are already a million Jews over the Green Line, is the time to apply Israeli law in all of Judea and Samaria”.

MK Nurit Koren, Deputy Knesset Speaker
The application of sovereignty in all of the Land of Israel is extremely important to me. Now is the time. We will do everything in our power to apply sovereignty and to protect the Greater Land of Israel”.

MK Oren Hazan
“Sovereignty of the State of Israel in Judea and Samaria should have happened many years ago”.

MK Naftali Bennett, Minister of Education and Minister of the Diaspora
“A nationalist government has no other choice. We must change from withdrawals to sovereignty”.

MK Uri Ariel, Minister of Agriculture and Peripheral Development
“The vision is one state west of the Jordan –which is the State of Israel, without any additions. Sovereignty must be total, although it might be done gradually”.

MK Eliyahu Ben Dahan, Deputy Minister of Defense
“I commit myself to acting within the political system to promote the most correct, the most ethical and the most essential process: Jewish sovereignty in Judea and Samaria “.

MK Bezalel Smotrich
“The only way to defeat terror is to cut off the hope that drives it, by applying Israeli sovereignty in the entire territory of Judea and Samaria”.

MK Shuli Mualem-Refaeli
“We must add the next level that has been placed at our doorstep, which is the application of sovereignty in the entire territory of Judea and Samaria”.

MK Moti Yogev
The State of Israel will apply sovereignty between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and this will happen. It is not so complicated”.

MK Nisan Slomiansky
“I am in favor of two states for two peoples – One of them up to the Jordan and one from the Jordan eastward, which will be the state of Palestine”.

All (our) eyes look towards tomorrow’s meetings in Washington with Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Israel reiterates our demand for autonomy when it comes to our security needs. We have a strong economy that is self-reliant. However, there are expectations and hopes from a staunch ally, one who has proven that Congress and the American people stand strongly with Israel, always.

“What should we offer, in our meetings with Israeli leaders this week?” ask many friends of Israel. A new Administration, a clearly supportive bicameral Congress. As Caroline Glick put it, this can be the beginning of a new era in Israel’s relations with the US. But to make the most of this unprecedented opportunity, Israel needs to recognize its role as America’s ally. Given this political climate, Netanyahu must use his meeting with Trump to develop a working alliance to secure Israel’s long-term strategic interests both on issues of joint concern and on issues that concern Israel.

First, Iran. Pres. Trump and PM Netanyahu seem to be on the same page. Trump has placed Iran on notice that its continued aggression will not go unanswered and he has harshly criticized Obama’s nuclear deal with the mullahs. Netanyahu has plans to present the new president with five options for scaling back Tehran’s nuclear program. It’s imperative that this move forward now.

Syria and Russia are next, and these will surely be addressed in this week’s meetings. A bold American stand can bring the change so desperately needed.

On its policy with Israel, in terms of the challenges we face internally and internationally, the United States can take a number of steps to level the playing field and to remove external political threats that hamper Israel’s ability to take bold steps.

1. Jerusalem must be recognized as Israel’s united, eternal capital. This is not just a declaration but has real, actionable items. These include:
2. support the implementation of US law in moving its embassy to Jerusalem – preferably to the current site of the consulate in the Arnona neighborhood.
3. announce recognition of Jerusalem as part of Israel
4. Areas that have come under Israel control since 1967:
5. repeal adverse Treasury Dept labeling regulations regarding products made in the “West Bank”
6. announce that the Gaza strip is not “occupied by Israel”
7. use international law to support Israeli rule in these areas
8. adopt the term “Israeli towns and communities” rather than settlements, and refer

to Jewish “residents”, rather than settlers.

1. Demands upon the Palestinian Authority, in order to create an atmosphere of growth, prosperity and security:
2. have the US Administration announce that it will not be renewing the waiver permitting the PLO to operate on US soil until it receives evidence that the Palestinians have permanently ended all funding to terrorists and their families, as well as all other activities that encourage terrorism.
3. interpret current Palestinian cooperation with the International Criminal Court as violating US law on conditions for funding the Palestinian Authority and that the US will cease funding the PA until the Palestinians end all cooperation with the ICC and withdraw their authorization for an ICC investigation of Israel.
4. International pressure:
5. President Trump should declare that his administration will veto all UNSC resolutions not clearly in US interest and that display bias against US allies, in particular Israel.
6. the Administration should announce an effort to have the UNSC, UNGA, UNHRC, and UNESCO overturn years of anti-Israel decisions (on the model of the resolution overturning the General Assembly’s “Zionism is racism” resolution) and that it will reduce or withhold funding to the UN (or specific parts of the UN) pending such action.
7. Adopt language in declaration and legislation that remove any specific demand upon Israel. This includes refraining from pressing for a ‘two-state’ solution or any other decision, choosing instead to support Israel in its direct search for true peace in the region.

With special thanks to the Kohelet Policy Forum.

Please share comments and upcoming Middle-East focused activity so we can weigh in and provide insight that can help better inform and advocate for our joint interests…