Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a high-level meeting Tuesday to discuss the potential application of sovereignty in the West Bank — the second such meeting in two weeks — against the backdrop of growing international support for Palestinian statehood. Belgium became the latest country to announce recognition overnight.
The previous meeting, held quietly last week, brought together a small group of senior officials including Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs.
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Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Knesset)
According to details obtained by Ynet, Dermer voiced support for applying sovereignty, reportedly telling colleagues: “There will be sovereignty in Judea and Samaria — the question is over which parts.” He expressed similar sentiments during a broader Cabinet discussion last month, when Ministers Orit Strock, Smotrich and Yariv Levin pressed to advance the measure ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September, where France and other countries are expected to recognize a Palestinian state.
At the previous closed-door meeting, ministers debated whether to extend sovereignty only to major settlement blocs, to all settlements, to Area C in its entirety or to specific regions such as the Jordan Valley. Officials also considered whether to act in response to international recognition or to preempt it with a proactive move.
Sources familiar with the matter said Dermer had already warned French officials in recent conversations that “pushing us to respond will not advance a Palestinian state.”
Following the public disclosure of Dermer’s remarks, some ministers praised his stance while arguing that any sovereignty move should be more than symbolic and unrelated to France’s actions.
Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf of the Otzma Yehudit party said last week that “if France recognizes a Palestinian state, it is effectively endorsing terror, murder, rape and the massacre of the Jewish people. We should have applied sovereignty yesterday, regardless of what France does.”
Still, he added, “if our sovereignty move coincides with France’s recognition, it will be an appropriate response and a clear message: the Land of Israel belongs entirely to us.”
Knesset member Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionist Party also called for immediate action, saying, “Sovereignty is not a reaction to international moves or threats. It is the only way to secure Israel’s future. The time for sovereignty is now.”