West Bank settler leader: Israel must apply sovereignty to Jordan Valley

Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley would be a "determined Zionist response" to terrorism, Dagan said on Friday afternoon.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan at Sa-Nur, April 15, 2021.  (photo credit: ELICHAI MENACHEM)
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan at Sa-Nur, April 15, 2021.
(photo credit: ELICHAI MENACHEM)

The Israeli government must apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said in response to the deadly terror attack which claimed the lives of two Israelis on Friday.

"The Jewish People are up against a murderous and barbaric wave of terror led by the terrorist in a suit Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] and his murderous friends at the PA," Dagan said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the Israeli government is not taking the appropriate action."

"The Israeli government must convene today," Dagan said, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare annexation and application of Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley "today."

According to Dagan, that will be a "determined Zionist response which will show both to our enemies and ourselves that, 'Am Yisrael Chai.'"

 The aftermath of a terror shooting in the Jordan Valley on April 7, 2023 (credit: ZAKA)
The aftermath of a terror shooting in the Jordan Valley on April 7, 2023 (credit: ZAKA)

The Jordan Valley terrorist shooting

On Friday morning, Two Israelis from Efrat were murdered and one was seriously wounded in a shooting attack near Hamra in the Jordan Valley.

Efrat council head Oded Revivi announced that the murdered women were two sisters from Efrat and the wounded woman is their mother. Their father was in a separate vehicle and arrived at the scene after rescue efforts had begun.

The deadly terror shooting came following another attack that wounded an IDF soldier on Thursday evening near Jerusalem. It also comes amid heavy rocket attacks from both the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, which the Israeli defense establishment attributes to the Hamas terrorist group.

Bill to apply Jordan Valley sovereignty shut down by coalition

A bill to apply Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley was proposed by the opposition last month and was knocked down by the Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionist parties.

The bill, proposed by the Yisrael Beytenu party led by MK Avigdor Liberman, would have apply Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley. While most of the coalition voted against the bill, Noam Party MK Avi Maoz voted in favor of the bill and Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son-Har Melech did not show up for the vote.

Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.