Israel must reclaim sovereignty over Judea and Samaria

OPINION:

The United Nations General Assembly voted Friday to endorse a two-state “solution.” Later this month, Western governments, including those of Britain, France and Australia, plan to actually recognize a Palestinian (terrorist) state on the border of Israel.

After the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023, when Jews were burned alive, raped, mutilated and taken hostage, such U.N. action can no longer be viewed as symbolic. It dangerously incentivizes terrorists to kill Jews. In response, Israel’s government is considering extending sovereignty over parts or all of Judea and Samaria.

Such a positive act of national affirmation is legitimate in its own right, not as a reaction to performative gestures abroad.

The Oct. 7 massacre was born of decades of diplomatic indulgence by a world that has rewarded Palestinian violence and incitement with funding, legitimacy and a seat at the table. As the Palestinian leadership has turned every olive branch into a weapon, its support for Hamas on that day proved beyond any doubt that statehood is not the goal; rather, its objective is the annihilation of Israel. Now the world seeks to reward terrorism with statehood. Essentially, “Murder Jews and you will get a flag.”

Declaring sovereignty would send the message that unilateral international declarations have consequences. The world cannot impose a “State of Palestine” or expect Israel to continue playing by Oslo-era rules that have long since crumbled under the weight of suicide bombs, rockets and pogroms.

That is not the only reason Israel should apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria. Critics of such an action misrepresent the legal and moral context.

These lands were never part of any Palestinian state because no such entity has ever existed. These lands were ruled by the Ottoman Empire and then administered by Britain and then illegally occupied by Jordan. Applying Israeli law to them is not colonialism; it is reunification with lands historically and legally tied to the Jewish people.

A San Remo resolution and the League of Nations mandate established the legal right of the Jewish people to reestablish their national home in all of Mandatory Palestine, including Judea and Samaria (and the Gaza Strip, for that matter). These documents remain valid under Article 80 of the United Nations Charter, and no legal instrument has ever overturned them. Judea and Samaria are disputed, not occupied, as determined by international law and reinforced by decades of negotiation and precedent.

Extending sovereignty is also in keeping with Israel’s vibrant democracy. According to a recent poll, 71% of Israelis oppose the creation of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, and nearly the same number support extending Israeli sovereignty. This reflects a broad national consensus. Sovereignty is not a radical agenda but a mainstream conviction rooted in lived experience and hard-earned realism.

Judea and Samaria are not central only to Jewish identity. For millions of Christians, they are part of the biblical land of Israel promised by God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The term “West Bank” was politically constructed to undermine this eternal covenant. For many Christians, Israeli sovereignty over this land is not a political issue but rather a matter of biblical fidelity.

Finally, sovereignty means more than control. For Israelis, this means responsibility. This includes a duty to ensure the safety, dignity and well-being of all people living under Israeli law, including Arab residents. This is completely in keeping with the fact that Arab Israelis enjoy more rights and economic benefits in Israel than they do in any Arab or Muslim country in the Middle East. True sovereignty aligns with the foundational ethics of Zionism, which seek Jewish self-determination and justice for all, including Israel’s neighbors.

Israel should extend sovereignty over Judea and Samaria because it is the right thing to do. It is justified historically, grounded in international law, supported by the public and affirmed by Jewish and Christian tradition. This is not annexation. It is the realization of sovereignty in the land where the Jewish people began their story and where they are determined to secure their future.

Moreover, rather than waiting for the kabuki theater at the United Nations, Israel should act first and declare sovereignty before the next vote, reasserting its agency and flipping the script.

For Israel to extend sovereignty at this time would indeed shift the headlines. Instead of focusing on a Palestinian “state,” the world would be forced to confront the true narrative. Israel would no longer be the subject of diplomatic pressure; it would be the initiator. It’s about time.

• Heather Johnston is the founder and CEO of U.S. Israel Education Association, a nonpartisan organization that advances dialogue and cooperation between the United States and Israel.