OPINION:
Since the birth of the modern state of Israel, the country’s leaders have debated where the lines of sovereignty should be drawn. On Oct. 22, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, passed in preliminary reading two distinct bills: one, introduced by Avi Maoz, to apply full Israeli law to Jewish communities across Judea and Samaria; the other, by Avigdor Lieberman, to apply sovereignty specifically to the city of Ma’ale Adumim.
Much will be said about the politics, timing and international reaction. This is not a radical move but a long-overdue act of moral, legal and historical correction.
More than a half-million Israelis live in communities across Judea and Samaria. They work, raise families, serve in the Israel Defense Forces and pay taxes, yet they remain outside the framework of Israel’s civil law. For too long, these citizens have been subject to a patchwork of military and administrative systems composed of laws dating back to the Ottoman Empire and British Mandate, as well as some Jordanian law during its illegal occupation of these areas from 1948 to 1967.
As such, these citizens are treated differently from every other Israeli. Applying sovereignty would begin to close that gap, extending the same civil rights and protections every other Israeli enjoys. This is not annexation; it is normalization.
The Jewish people’s connection to Judea and Samaria is not a matter of political convenience; it is the heart of our national identity. From Hebron to Shiloh, from Beit El to the Jordan Valley, these are not disputed lands in our history. They are the cradle of our faith and the roots of our collective journey.
Strategically, the highlands of Judea and Samaria safeguard Israel’s narrow waistline, its major population centers and its primary airport. A secure and defensible Israel must maintain control of these territories. To cede them or to govern them indefinitely as legal no-man’s lands would be reckless and unjust.
Predictably, opponents claim this move will inflame tensions or alienate allies. Yet Israel’s legitimacy has never depended on the approval of others. It stems from our right — affirmed by history, law and perseverance — to live freely and securely in our ancestral homeland. Peace cannot be built on perpetual ambiguity. The Oslo generation promised that hesitation would bring harmony. Thirty years later, with countless land-for-peace offerings made and rejected, the opposite has proved true: Hesitation breeds instability. Clear sovereignty, enforced law and visible governance bring order and ultimately the conditions necessary for coexistence.
The Knesset’s preliminary vote is just one step, but it’s a momentous one. The coming debates in committee will determine whether Israel finally moves from temporary administration to permanent responsibility. At One Israel Fund, we have spent decades supporting the people who live this reality every day, with humanitarian aid to build medical equipment and facilities, playgrounds, youth and senior centers, and security systems for the volunteer civilian response teams that make life possible in Judea and Samaria.
Sovereignty will not change our mission; it will strengthen it. Because when Israel governs all parts of its land with unity and clarity, every citizen benefits. Sovereignty is not about politics. It’s about principle.
• Scott M. Feltman is executive vice president of One Israel Fund, dedicated to supporting Judea and Samaria.
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