MKs Haim Katz and Bezalel Smotrich, the heads of the Knesset Land of Israel Lobby, submitted a bill on Monday to apply sovereignty over all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. The proposal adapts the same wording as a version which was passed by the Likud Center. Under the bill, sovereignty would be applied to all Jewish communities without exception and without turning any communities into "isolated enclaves." The proposal also seeks to create a mechanism for the preservation of the status quo in all territory where sovereignty would not be applied and to prevent the takeover of land in Area C by the Palestinian Authority or any other foreign actor. The bill also states that "the State of Israel will work to prevent illegal Palestinian construction in the area, eliminate agricultural crime and the takeover of land by the deployment of infrastructures, prevent any international activity not approved by the government, and to promote arrangements in the areas which remain outside the map of sovereignty and to maintain state land through pasture." The proposal also addresses the humanitarian needs residents of of Area C who are not citizens of the State of Israel and sets rules and restrictions for the promotion of construction plans for these residents, with the approval of the Political Security Cabinet. MK Haim Katz said that "the time for sovereignty has come long ago. I hope that Israel will be able to take advantage of the window of opportunity with the Americans and that all parts of the government will mobilize for the cause. The longer we delay, the more difficult the reality in the field will be. The national mission to realize our historical rights in the land of our ancestors could be endangered, and that we cannot allow." MK Bezalel Smotrich added: "A few years ago, our caucus placed sovereignty laws in front of the Knesset and made the issue one of the central issues on the agenda of the Israeli government. Unfortunately, the government's promises of sovereignty so far have not been fulfilled and the proposal in Netanyahu's plan creates a de facto Arab state in the heart of the country. This is not what we had in mind." "The bill we have presented today is the long-awaited sovereignty and it will remove the folly of two-states from the agenda. We must have cooperation between all right-wing elements in the coalition and opposition to advance this bill and we act together to advance it for the continuation of the Zionist vision," Smotrich added.
