Congressman shows support for Israeli W. Bank sovereignty

US Representative Joe Walsh, Danon propose parallel bills; “This is the best answer to the Palestinian statehood declaration,” Danon says.

By LAHAV HARKOV
MK Danny Danon 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
MK Danny Danon 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
US Representative Joe Walsh (R-Illinois) and MK Danny Danon (Likud) have proposed parallel bills meant to promote Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank.
Walsh drafted a resolution on Wednesday night “supporting Israel’s right to extend its sovereignty to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.”
“This is the best answer to the Palestinian statehood declaration,” Danon said. “Zionism is at a historic turning point, and now is the best time for applying Israel sovereignty. I will work to promote this process in Israel and internationally.”
Walsh plans to spend the coming days finding cosponsors for the resolution, which is based on a bill Danon proposed the Knesset last month, the Likud MK explained.
The US resolution explains that “within the framework of the Oslo Accords, the road map and other Middle East peace agreements signed by the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, it is agreed that all future agreements are to be bilateral.
“The Palestinian Authority has acted in violation of these aforementioned agreements by unilaterally seeking a United Nations declaration of recognition for a Palestinian State without the consent or cooperation of Israel,” Walsh’s resolution reads.
He also points out that the PA “further breached its responsibility under these agreements, specifically its responsibility to renounce terrorism and end any incitement to violence against Israel, by signing a unity agreement with Hamas.”
Walsh writes that “the Jewish people have had a presence in Judea and Samaria for thousands of years,” and that “Jews living outside the Green Line...
have the same right to life and liberty as Jews and Arabs living inside the Green Line.”
In addition, he points out that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said that no Israelis may live in a future Palestinian state. Walsh also writes that the PA depends on foreign aid, and despite receiving billions of dollars “has failed to create accountable leadership or viable government in the West Bank or Gaza Strip,” and is likely to build a “failed state” which will be a “clear and present danger to the people of Israel.”
“It is the responsibility of the Israeli Government to do everything in its power to ensure the security of its citizens, including those residing in Judea and Samaria,” the resolution reads.
As such, Walsh’s bill says: “The House of Representatives firmly supports Israel’s right to extend its sovereignty to Jewish communities within Judea and Samaria in the event that the Palestinian Authority continues to press for unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations.”
“The Palestinians want to throw us into the sea, and are trying to cover it up through diplomatic actions under UN sponsorship,” Danon said. “A unilateral declaration is a direct violation of the Oslo Accords, and this is an opportunity to fix a long-standing distortion.
“Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria shields us from the Palestinian leadership’s attempts to attack the State of Israel,” the Likud MK added.
Danon also sent a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, in which he wrote: “Even former prime minister Menachem Begin z”l was criticized internationally for his initiative to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Golan Heights, and today he is remembered as one of the greatest leaders the State of Israel has known.”