Israel has a “moral” and “strategic” obligation to enact sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, according to Nadia Matar, co-founder and co-chair of the Sovereignty Movement.
Speaking on the ILTV News Podcast, Matar explained that applying sovereignty would mean that the same civil laws currently governing cities like Tel Aviv, Ra’anana, and Jerusalem would also apply to Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.
“It means an end to the military governance that has been there since 1967 over Israeli citizens,” Matar said. “We would not anymore be under a separate legal status, but we will have full Israeli rights like everybody else in this country. We have the same obligations, but we don't have the same rights. But of course, it means, also, an end to Oslo, an end to the Palestinian Authority.”
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Matar made these comments as U.S. President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia, where discussions were underway about the kingdom potentially joining the Abraham Accords normalization agreements—already signed by the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. However, Saudi officials have stated that the establishment of a Palestinian state is a prerequisite for joining the accords. For activists like Matar, such conditions raise concerns that any agreement would further delay or prevent Israel’s ability to enact sovereignty over the disputed territories.
Matar emphasized that sovereignty is not only a practical move but also a symbolic one that sends a clear message to the international community.
“It is Israel's declaration to the world and to itself that this is our heartland, this land belongs to us. It doesn't belong to anybody else,” she said.
She argued that the absence of sovereignty fosters uncertainty, which can lead to dangerous misconceptions.
“As long as there is no sovereignty, Israel is sending a message of ambiguity, which is dangerous because you fuel false hopes by the Arabs and the international community that this land may eventually be given away or turned into a Palestinian state,” Matar said.
“If you when you apply sovereignty, you're telling the world, once and for all, we put an end to that illusion. This entire land, from the river to the sea, belongs to the Jewish people,” she continued. “Israel has every right, biblically, morally, historically and under international law, to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”
Currently, Judea and Samaria are divided into three categories under the Oslo Accords: Area C is under full Israeli control, while Areas A and B are governed either partially or entirely by the Palestinian Authority.
Watch the full podcast:
ILTV News Podcast | What if Saudi peace means losing the biblical heartland?
(קרדיט: ILTV)
