Israeli ministers press Netanyahu to annex Judea and Samaria in July

All ministers from the ruling Likud party signed onto joint letter urging Netanyahu to move forward with plans to extend Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria by the end of the month.

By World Israel News Staff

Members of Israel’s ruling Likud party have called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with plans to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria by the end of the month.

On Wednesday night, Likud lawmakers, including all of the party’s government ministers other than Netanyahu, as well as Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, released a joint letter calling for a government vote to apply Israeli law to Judea and Samaria before the end of the current Knesset session at the end of July.

“This is the time to approve in government a decision to apply sovereignty,” the letter reads in part.

“Following the State of Israel’s historic achievements in the face of Iran’s axis of evil and its sympathizers, the task must be completed and the existential threat from within must be eliminated to prevent another massacre in the heart of the country.”

“The strategic partnership, backing, and support of the U.S. and President Donald Trump have made it a propitious time to move forward with it now and ensure Israel’s security for generations,” the letter continues.

“The October 7th massacre proved that the doctrine of settlement blocs and the establishment of a Palestinian state in the remaining territory is an existential danger to Israel. It’s time for sovereignty.”

The letter was released just days before Netanyahu is slated to fly to Washington for a meeting with President Donald Trump.

In February, Trump teased a major announcement on Israeli plans for sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

Although he said that a formal statement would be made on the issue within four weeks, the administration has yet to address the matter.

Prior to the September 2019 Knesset election, Netanyahu proposed a partial annexation of Judea and Samaria, beginning with the Jordan Valley area, followed by settlement blocs.

While the government formed after the next election, held in March 2020, included a provision for annexation, Israel held off on applying sovereignty after the Trump administration brokered the Abraham Accords.

Israel, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has claimed, agreed to shelve its annexation plans for four years, ending after the 2024 U.S. presidential election.