Israel must annex Judea and Samaria in its entirety. Anything less will mean keeping the door open for a Palestinian state, and I think that many, if not most, Israelis will agree with me that the door for Palestinian statehood was slammed shut on October 7, 2023. Now, the door must be locked, permanently. There must never again be an opening for a Palestinian state in the ancestral heartland of the Jewish people.
There will never be a better time than now for Israel to annex Judea and Samaria. The Trump Administration has indicated that it is not opposed to annexation and is not committed to the abundantly discredited two-state solution. No other US administration, Democrat or Republican, has been more receptive to the idea of Israel extending its sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, so annexation must happen as soon as possible.
Furthermore, annexing all of Judea and Samaria is the strongest response Israel can give to the outrageous decision by some Western leaders to reward Palestinian terrorism by recognizing "Palestine." Israel will be telling the world that it will not cede even one inch of the ancestral Jewish homeland for a Palestinian state that will no doubt be a bastion of terrorism, determined to wipe the Jewish state off the map.
There will inevitably be diplomatic backlash. Ambassadors may be recalled, trade agreements may be cancelled, and country after country will line up to condemn Israel. But it will hardly be a doomsday scenario. Recall that when Israel passed the Basic Law: Jerusalem in 1980, declaring Jerusalem to be its united capital, there was no major diplomatic blowback, nor were there any significant diplomatic consequences when Israel annexed the Golan Heights a year later. Recall also that many predicted the sky would fall when the first Trump Administration moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. They were obviously wrong. Whatever diplomatic consequences come as a result of Israel annexing Judea and Samaria will most likely be minor and temporary.
But what about the other consequences of annexation? For instance, formally annexing Judea and Samaria would mean giving 3 million Palestinians in the territory citizenship and dramatically reducing Israel's Jewish majority, right? Wrong. For starters, the Palestinian population of Judea and Samaria is not 3 million. This is an overestimate by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). It includes about 500,000 Palestinian residents who live overseas. It also includes hundreds of thousands who are residents of Jerusalem and those married to Israeli Arabs, both of whom are included in Isreal's population figures. The actual Palestinian population of Judea and Samaria is closer to 1.85 million. And even if Israel did decide to grant citizenship to every Palestinian in Judea and Samaria, it would still have a solid Jewish majority of 65.5%.
Israel can also reduce the Palestinian population in Judea and Samaria by encouraging Palestinians to leave voluntarily. Indeed, it's long been suggested by some Israeli leaders that Palestinians in Judea and Samaria be given financial incentives to leave the territory. This idea is also being considered to facilitate the voluntary emigration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip once Israel finishes vanquishing Hamas.
Furthermore, Israel is under no obligation to grant the Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria citizenship. After all, why should Israel give citizenship to a hostile population determined to destroy it? Besides, no Arab country except Jordan has given the Palestinians citizenship, so why must Israel? Israel should, however, consider offering citizenship to Palestinians who have demonstrated their willingness to live in peace with their Jewish neighbours, but I doubt there are many.
Annexing Judea and Samaria would also give Israel the opportunity to rid itself of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is nothing but a corrupt, tyrannical regime that promotes and funds terrorism. In fact, the only difference between the PA and Hamas is that the former pays lip service to the two-state solution, but in reality, it seeks the total destruction of Israel just as Hamas does.
Dissolving the PA will give Israel the opportunity to end pay-for-slay, the PA practice of paying Palestinians who murder Jews generous monthly salaries. It will also allow Israel to purge Palestinian media and education of vicious antisemitic, pro-terrorist content. No longer will Palestinians be taught to hate and slaughter Jews, nor will they be taught that martyrdom is the highest honour that they can aspire to. Instead, Palestinians in Judea and Samaria will learn to be productive members of society and live in peace with their Jewish neighbours.
Yes, annexing Judea and Samaria does carry risks and burdens, but it is the best response to Western countries determined to impose a Palestinian terrorist state on Israel. Therefore, I implore the leaders of the Jewish state to do what must be done. Annex all of Judea and Samaria. Close the door on the two-state delusion for good. Declare Israel's sovereignty over what rightfully belongs to the Jewish people. And do it now.
