Knesset conference pushes Judea and Samaria sovereignty

Earlier this month, ministers from the ruling Likud Party unanimously signed a letter in which they called on the government to extend Israeli law to Judea and Samaria in the coming weeks.

By JNS

Hundreds of Israelis, including ministers and lawmakers, gathered at the Knesset on Monday for a summit focused on advancing sovereignty over Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley.

The Sovereignty Conference—an initiative of Likud Knesset lawmakers Dan Illouz, Keti Shitrit, Moshe Passal, Ariel Kellner and Avichai Boaron—seeks to pressure the government to immediately extend Israeli law over the territories Jerusalem regained during the 1967 Six-Day War.

Speakers included Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana; Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen; Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen, formerly an IDF corps commander and commander of its Military Colleges; former Israeli Ambassador to Italy Dror Eydar; and Judea and Samaria leaders.

“It’s time to correct the historical injustice, fulfill our right to the heart of our promised land and ensure the state’s security,” Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, chairwomen of the Sovereignty Movement, which helped organize the event, said in a statement ahead of the summit.

The two called on the government to “fulfill this Zionist imperative with courage and determination, understanding that this is the key to a safe and prosperous future in the land,” adding that the “true answer” to the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel’s south would be “to uproot their hope and apply sovereignty immediately.”

A general view of new buildings in an Israeli community in Samaria, May 21, 2025. Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90

Separately on Monday morning, Religious Zionism Party lawmaker Zvi Sukkot convened the Knesset’s Subcommittee on Judea and Samaria to discuss the practical implications of declaring sovereignty over the area.

Representatives of the Israeli defense establishment, the Justice Ministry and the Settlements and National Missions Ministry were summoned to participate in the forum, titled “Implications of a Scenario of Applying Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” the Sovereignty Movement stated.

Earlier this month, ministers from the ruling Likud Party unanimously signed a letter in which they called on the government to extend Israeli law to Judea and Samaria in the coming weeks.

“Now is the time for the government to approve a decision on the application of sovereignty, and this must be done before the end of the Knesset’s Summer Session [on July 27],” they wrote, according to Israel National News.

“Following the historic achievements of the State of Israel under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in confronting the axis of evil led by Iran and its proxies, the task must now be completed by removing the existential threat from within and preventing another massacre in the heart of the country,” the ministers’ missive added.

Jewish shepherds herd their sheep near an outpost in Judea and Samaria on June 29, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also has authority over civilian matters in Judea and Samaria, has directed his office to prepare practical plans for Israeli sovereignty over the region.

Smotrich instructed the Defense Ministry’s Settlement Administration to “formulate an operational plan for applying sovereignty, and we will not stop until the entire area receives its full legal status and becomes an inseparable part of the State of Israel,” the minister announced on July 5.

Moreover, Knesset lawmakers passed a nonbinding motion on May 28, declaring their support for extending sovereignty to Judea and Samaria.

The motion, introduced by coalition and opposition lawmakers, passed without any opposition. Knesset records showed that 15 Knesset members were present when the motion was put to a vote.

“With the understanding that these parts of the Land are inseparable from the homeland of the Jewish people, in light of the broad Israeli consensus against a Palestinian state, and to prevent the recurrence of the Oct. 7 disaster—applying Israeli law is a moral and necessary step for security and the realization of the Zionist vision,” the motion read.

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