Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party, unveiled a sovereignty plan for Judea and Samaria on Tuesday, calling for Israeli sovereignty over 82% of the territory.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Yesha Council chairman Israel Gantz and several other council heads from the region, Smotrich said the map must ensure "that no Arab terror state is established."
"There will be no partial sovereignty," he said. "Leaving territory in enemy hands would allow them to establish a terror state – the 23rd Arab state they want to create here. This is a fundamental principle in any sovereignty plan we advance."
Smotrich argued that most Arabs in Judea and Samaria support Hamas and the October 7 atrocities and aspire to destroy Israel. "We have no desire to apply sovereignty over enemies," he continued. "The principle of sovereignty is maximum land and minimum population. The Arabs of Judea and Samaria will initially manage their affairs through the Palestinian Authority, and later without any collective framework."
Smotrich also addressed the expected reactions to his plan. "In the coming days we will hear warnings and clichés about igniting the Middle East as a result of sovereignty," he said. "These are the same generals and so-called experts who once promised that the Gaza disengagement would be good for security. We are done surrendering to threats and intimidation. If the Palestinian Authority dares to raise its head and threaten us, we will destroy it just as we are destroying Hamas. I call on Netanyahu to convene the government and make a historic decision to apply sovereignty to all open areas of Judea and Samaria."
His announcement comes after a report in Israel Hayom revealed that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer has been working with Washington on a proposal for limited sovereignty in the Jordan Valley. That plan has drawn sharp criticism from the Israeli right, with settlement leaders and right-wing politicians urging the government to seize the current opportunity and friendly US administration to declare full sovereignty instead.
