Yossi Dagan
Photo: Barel Efraim
Settler leader scolds Cabinet for handing over Area C territories
After the Security Cabinet decided last week to grant a concessions package for the Palestinians which included permits to construct in Area C territories in the West Bank, Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan criticizes the government decision to give away territories for no rhyme or reason, devoid of public transparency.
Head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan lambasted a recent decision taken by members of the Security Cabinet to allow Palestinian construction in Area C of the West Bank, which is under Israeli military control.
Dagan called on the members to retract their decision to approve the move which came as part of a series of relief measures for the Palestinians shortly before US President Donald Trump visited Israel.
According to Dagan, the territory was handed over to the Palestinians without sufficient deliberation in the Knesset. "You should be more upfront with the public and revote on the issue," he said.
Head of Shomron (Samaria) Regional Council, Yossi Dagan (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)
Last week, the Cabinet approved a concessions package for the Palestinians. Eight members of the cabinet voted in favor, versus two who voted against—Minister Naftali Bennett and Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi), who opposed on account of the concession that would allow Palestinians to construct in Area C.
"The Cabinet's decision was made in the dark, without so much as a minimal discussion in the Knesset or at least in the government," wrote Dagan in his message to the Cabinet. "In practice, this is actually a move to relinquish Jewish construction rights and hand over territories in disguise. (Even) a left-wing government would do this openly."
According to Dagan, in times when the US president does not call the settlements "an obstacle to peace," the Cabinets' decision constitutes an unnecessary handing over of land gratis.
"This is very wrong in this day and age. An American president will probably, in the future, denounce Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria; but now, for the first time in history, we have an American President who puts (Palestinian Authority President) Mahmoud Abbas in his place and avoids mentioning the two-state solution," wrote Dagan. "To volunteer to, in fact, give away territory that will be left in any other policy agreement in the hands of Israel is redundant."
Dagan also addressed other ministers and MKs who are not members of the Cabinet, some of whom have openly agreed with him. MK and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said that giving away territories in Area C could carry a price, stating that "we must resist any change and transfer of territory to the Palestinians in this area."
