This week, the Knesset decided that residing in northern Samaria is no longer a breach of the law. The decision to repeal the 2005 Disengagement Plan Law in northern Samaria early on Tuesday morning is good news for Israel, from almost every perspective.
First of all, the moral aspect. The settlements to which it is now possible to return – Sa-Nur, Homesh, Ganim, and Kadim – are located in the very heart of the biblical Land of Israel. It was in the Dothan Valley, the area surrounded by the four evacuated settlements, where Joseph met his brothers momentarily before they cast him into the pit according to the famous biblical story. If there is a piece of land to which the Jewish people have an inherent right, then northern Samaria is one of them. Also in terms of the hundreds of settlers who lived in those locations and were evicted from their homes for no reason and without gaining anything in return, this is an opportunity for them to gain some degree of closure. On the national level, the Knesset declaration that the Jewish people can now go back to an area of Israel that it was forced to abandon, conveys a strong message to our enemies.
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On the national level, the Knesset declaration that the Jewish people can now go back to an area of Israel that it was forced to abandon, conveys a strong message to our enemies. In the Dahiya quarter in Beirut, the Hamas HQ in Shifa in the Gaza Strip, and in the Muqata'a in Ramallah, all those who seek to get rid of us must now come to terms with the fact that we are here to stay and are not going anywhere. This is an important lesson for the long term.
From the operational security perspective too, an Israeli civilian presence will bring with it corresponding military activity too. And wherever the IDF has a presence, there tends to be less terrorism and fewer attacks. This principle was proven both conclusively and painfully as a result of the 2005 Disengagement Plan, in which Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria.
In complete contrast to the theories espoused by its architects, the Disengagement Plan not only failed to improve Israel's security situation, but it completely undermined it. The consequent absence of an Israeli presence led to the birth of "Hamastan" in the Gaza Strip – a terrorist state that fires rockets and missiles into Israel whenever it feels like it – and the way to disarming it involves a heavy price in human life.
In northern Samaria, from the moment that Israel withdrew until this very day, Palestinian terrorists have not ceased to operate there. There is a clear and direct connection between the eviction of the Israeli settlers from the area surrounding Jenin, 18 years ago, and the fact that it is the capital city of Palestinian terrorism. As, when all is said and done, the Zionist equation is simple. Wherever there is a Jewish presence terrorism is pushed back, and vice-versa.
There is a clear direct connection between the evacuation of the Israeli settlers from the area surrounding Jenin and the fact that it is the capital city of Palestinian terrorism. Repealing the Disengagement Law, and effectively canceling its application to northern Samaria, will obviously arouse criticism from the Arab world and the West too, even though in practice its significance is extremely limited.
Unlike the Gaza Strip, from which Israel removed any form of responsibility, northern Samaria has to this day formally remained part of Area C, in other words – it is under full Israeli control. The only difference that the new law entails is that until now entry into the former settlements required authorization from the IDF. Once the bill is enacted into law, Israelis will be able to frequent these sites freely (and thanks to Haggai Huberman). This most minor of changes hardly justifies any international uproar, which in any event Israel should be able to withstand.
In the final analysis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's sixth government can take credit for an act of considerable significance that serves to bolster Israel.
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