‘Be strong and of good courage,’ IDF generals tell Trump as sovereignty nears

“We trust that you will continue to work to secure the future peace of the people of Israel and of the Middle East,” the letter states.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

The “Protectors of Israel,” a group of IDF generals, wrote a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to support annexation of Judea and Samaria. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman presented the letter to Trump.

The letter, signed by 18 Israeli generals, was also printed in The Hill, a Washington, D.C. paper, on Tuesday.

“Your farsighted vision for peace, which includes recognition of Israel’s sovereign rights in Judea and Samaria, has put wind in the wings of thousands of Israel Defense Force officers and warriors and buffeted the sails of the Israeli nation as a whole,” the letter read.

“We trust that you will continue to work to secure the future peace of the people of Israel and of the Middle East as a whole by standing with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he applies our sovereignty to our eastern frontier, the Jordan Valley and to our cities, villages, and farms in Judea and Samaria in accordance with your visionary peace plan,” it stated.

“As God Almighty said to Joshua as he stood before the Jordan River, poised to lead the Nation of Israel to the Promised Land, so we say to you today: “Be strong and of good courage,” the letter concluded.

Senior U.S. administration officials will hold a meeting this week on whether or not to give the green light to the Israeli government to apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria.

The administration has reportedly become uncertain about the plan after elements on Israel’s Right have come out against it. A number of settlement leaders oppose the plan given that it calls for a Palestinian state, even though they are in favor of the sovereignty aspects. Jewish leaders from Judea and Samaria rallied in Jerusalem on Sunday to protest the plan.

Netanyahu has said that as of July 1, the Israeli government will begin a process of applying Israeli sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, in line with his party’s coalition agreement with Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party.

However, Gantz doesn’t seem on board with Netanyahu’s plans.

Gantz has suggested a reduced sovereignty, much less than the 30 percent of the territory that Netanyahu has proposed and which is permitted under the Trump administration’s plan. Gantz also wants a careful analysis of all the ramifications before proceeding.

AnnexationDonald TrumpIDF