The Knesset on Wednesday voted by a wide margin in favor of a non-binding declaration calling on the government to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley - the territories that make up the West Bank. The vote followed a special debate added to the agenda under the title: "Applying Israeli Sovereignty in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley."
A total of 71 lawmakers supported the declaration, including members of all coalition parties, as well as representatives from United Torah Judaism, Noam, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Knesset lawmaker Idan Roll. The National Unity party and Yesh Atid boycotted the vote, while 13 Knesset lawmakers from the Democratic Front, Ra’am, and Hadash-Ta’al voted against.
2 View gallery
Some 71 Knesset lawmakers voted to approve the declaration
(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana hailed the vote as a “historic declaration,” saying: “The Knesset has spoken with a clear voice in support of applying Israeli sovereignty over the historic heartland of Judea and Samaria. This is our land and our home. The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. The so-called occupation didn’t begin in 1967—it ended. This is historical truth and the only path to real peace through strength. We are here to stay.”
According to the text of the resolution, submitted by members of Likud, Shas, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, Yisrael Beiteinu, the National Right, Noam, and Roll: "Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley are inseparable parts of the Land of Israel—the historic, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people. Long before the modern state’s establishment, the forefathers and prophets of Israel lived and acted in these regions, where the foundations of Jewish culture and faith were laid.”
The statement continues: “Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria is an inseparable part of realizing Zionism and the national vision of the Jewish people’s return to its homeland. The October 7 Simchat Torah massacre proved that the establishment of a Palestinian state poses an existential threat to Israel and its citizens.”
The text concludes by calling on “our friends around the world to stand with Zion’s return and the vision of the prophets, and to support the State of Israel’s natural, historical and legal right to the Land of Israel and to the application of sovereignty.”
While the declaration carries no legal or legislative weight, it represents a political signal amid ongoing domestic and international debates over the future of the territories.
Right-wing lawmakers praise declaration, opposition calls it political distraction
At the start of the Knesset debate, Knesset lawmaker Simcha Rothman said that “the time has come to pursue peace from a place of strength, not weakness. This decision is a value-based statement—it does not apply sovereignty, but it is a declaration. And such a declaration carries great significance, expressing our bond with the Land of Israel and the cradle of Jewish civilization. This decision reflects our yearning and demand to realize the return to Zion and calls on the Israeli government to act swiftly to make this vision a reality. The Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people—yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever.”
Lawmaker Dan Illouz added, “Today, the Knesset takes a historic step and for the first time expresses official support for applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria. No more temporary management or control without resolution. It’s time to say clearly: Judea and Samaria are not bargaining chips—they are the heart of our land. Sovereignty is the image of victory. We cannot defeat Hamas in Gaza or deter Iran while leaving Beit El and Kedumim in question. We have a historic responsibility—we are here not just to dream, but to fulfill.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
In contrast, members of the opposition dismissed the move as “spin” designed to divert public attention from the removal of lawmaker Yuli Edelstein as chair of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, in favor of pushing legislation to exempt ultra-Orthodox Israelis from mandatory military service.
Shortly before the vote in the Likud faction to remove him, Edelstein addressed the Knesset plenum: “Symbolically, this historic decision comes exactly 20 years after the terrible folly of the Gaza and northern Samaria expulsion. Yes—expulsion, not euphemisms like ‘disengagement’. Back then, as now, there were those who tried to remove me from my position. Back then, as now, they promised me cities and hills in return for compromising my truth. But the truth is clear—I have remained loyal to my values and the principles I have fought for. Throughout my journey, ever since the Soviet Union, I have paid a price for my ideology, for my fight for the Land of Israel, the People of Israel, and the Torah of Israel. I had no fear then, and I have none now. That same sense of mission continues to guide me, as I remain focused on securing the future of our children in their homeland.”