Israel finally has a new government, after three elections and seemingly endless political infighting and bickering.
The new government has a lot of work ahead of it, from containing the spread of COVID-19 to reviving the economy after a long lockdown that has cost many Israelis their jobs and livelihoods.
One matter that will surely be on the government's agenda will be the possible extension of Israeli sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria. Prime Minister Netanyahu made a point of making his coalition deal with Benny Gantz contingent on this, so we should all assume that it will be front and center on the new government's agenda.
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It is imperative for Israel to proceed with this move as soon as possible, while it has the blessing of the US, because it is unlikely that the Jewish state will ever again have an American administration that is so willing to acquiesce to solidifying Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
Indeed, there are just six months between now and the possible end of the Trump Administration. If Trump is not re-elected, it is almost inevitable that the new president, assumingly Joe Biden, will not give Israel the green light to apply Israeli sovereignty to any part of the territory captured in the 1967 war.
Now of course, we all know about the naysayers both inside and outside Israel, who tell us that this is a dangerous proposition. This argument is based entirely on the potential negative responses by both the Palestinians and the international community. But neither the Palestinians nor the international community elected Israel's government. Israelis elected Israel's government, and it is accountable only to Israelis.
Moreover, if recent polls are any indication, many more Israelis support than oppose it, including more than half of the country's Jewish citizens. I should also mention that the person now sitting in the prime minister's chair, Benjamin Netanyahu, was elected in large part based on his promise to extend sovereignty to territory in Judea and Samaria.
No one has the moral authority to criticize Israel for applying sovereignty to parts of the biblical homeland of the Jewish people. How can the Palestinians, for example, criticize Israel when they have rejected one proposal after another that would have given them a country of their own that they say they want so much?
At one point, they were offered nearly the whole of Judea and Samaria, plus the Gaza Strip, and they still said no, hence the saying, the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
How about the Europeans? Can Europe's leaders fairly criticize Israel for claiming its historic birthright? Anyone who knows Europe's history of conquest and subjugation of other peoples and lands should know the answer to this question.
Indeed, before the leaders of Europe criticize Israel for its presence in Judea and Samaria, perhaps they should ask themselves why they haven't ended their occupations of foreign lands. Lands that they have no historical claim to.
It's quite hypocritical for the Europeans to criticize Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, especially since it was the actions and decisions of Europeans that left the Palestinians without a country of their own in the first place.
What we now call Jordan was supposed to be the homeland of the Palestinian Arabs. That is, until the British decided to hand over the eastern portion of their Mandate of Palestine to the Hashemites, giving birth to what we now call the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The kingdom's current ruler, King Abdullah II, is now threatening dire consequences if Israel attempts to claim sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria.
He knows that if this takes place, his rule may be in jeopardy. And so it should be. It was never legitimate to begin with.
Israel should not hold off just to help maintain the illegitimate dictatorship next door. In fact, if the move proves to be a death sentence for King Abdullah II's regime, then two historical wrongs would be set right.
The Jewish people will regain sovereignty in their biblical homeland and the Palestinians will have a country where it was meant to be. Sounds like a pretty good proposition rather than a dangerous one.
