For the first time ever, four Israeli government ministers, two Israeli Consul Generals and 350 AIPAC participants attended a celebratory event to mark 50 years since the liberation of Yehuda and Shomron. Attendees were invited to sample some of the fine produce of the region including wine, dates, halva and dead sea cosmetics. While Construction and Housing Minister Yoav Galant MK (Kulanu), Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud), Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan (Bayit Yehudi) and Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotevely (Likud) all publicly affirmed their commitment to the continued Israeli resettlement of Yehuda and Shomron. Ambassador Dani Dayan, the former Yesha Council Chairman and now Israeli Consul General to New York also delivered a powerful speech to jubilant crowd.

Housing and Construction Minister Major General (Res.) Yoav Gallant told the Yesha Council supporters that: “There is no way that Israel can exist without the high mountains of Yehuda and Shomron.”

Minister Tzachi Hanegbi added: “Defense is important & security is important but the most important thing is the moral claim of Israel and we are committed to living in our regional land, land that was given to us not by Google or Wikipedia but by the Bible King David, King Saul, King David, King Solomon, Abraham and this is the right, which we are going to demand our right forever and ever.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotevely was greeted with applause as she stated: “We need to go to a million settlers in Yehuda and Shomron – with a US embassy in Jerusalem. We need to think of new ways of thinking that will include Yehuda and Shomron under Israeli sovereignty forever.”

Deputy Minister of Defense Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan committed to doing everything in his power to strengthen the Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria by improving “roads, infrastructure, laws and everything that needs to be done to ensure that there will be one million Israelis living in Yehuda and Shomron – that’s not far away, it’s doable.”

Dani Dayan. Former Yesha Council Chief Foreign Envoy, who currently serves as Israel’s Consul General to New York explained that he left Tel Aviv 29 years ago to live in Shomron because “it was the right thing to do” He added: “ I have a large living room (in my home in Shomron), from one window we see the west, we Tel Aviv as if it’s in the palm of our hands and every morning when we see Tel Aviv from my window we know that we are shielding, we can prove mathematically that its either us, my neighbors and especially the IDF or a Palestinian hostile entity that will use those very hills to an attack Tel Aviv, so we guarantee the existence of Tel Aviv.”

Photo: Housing Minister Gallant addresses event.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Yesha Council)