Hotovely: Details of Trump sovereignty map have not been finalized
“This is a historic opportunity that must not be missed,” Hotovely told Yossi Dagan, who is among a group of some seven settler leaders who have vocally opposed the plan.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFSettlement Affairs Minister Tzipi Hotovely meets with Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, June 7, 2020(photo credit: Courtesy)
The details of Trump’s sovereignty map have not been finalized, Settlement Affairs Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) told Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan on Sunday morning.It was her first meeting with Dagan, now that she has taken up leadership of the newly created ministry. She will also join Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin (Likud) as Israel’s representative on the joint Israeli-US mapping committee.That committee is in the midst of finalizing the details of what territory will be included within the 30% of the West Bank that Israel would be allowed to annex under US President Donald Trump’s plan.Hotovely has been a stalwart supporter of the settlement movement. On Sunday, she gave a plug for the Trump plan and its sovereignty offer.“This is a historic opportunity that must not be missed,” Hotovely told Dagan, who is among a group of some seven settler leaders who have vocally opposed the plan.“We are attentive to the [concerns] of the settler leaders. Work on the maps is still underway. Our eyes [thoughts] are only on strengthening the settlements,” Hotovely said.Dagan is in the midst of a campaign against the Trump plan, based on his reading of the initial sovereignty map that was published in January when it was unveiled. He went over the details of his opposition with Hotovely, so she could better understand the problems.Dagan, like the six other settler leaders, including Yesha Council head David Elhayani, are concerned that the map creates a de-facto settlement freeze and would lead to the destruction of at least 15 settlements.They are particularly concerned by the way that the initial map does not give them territorial contiguity in the West Bank, except in the Jordan Valley.“I am very concerned,” Dagan told Hotovely. “We are at a crossroad that could bring excellent historic results of sovereignty or the creation of a terror state in the heart of the country, which may lead to a map of withdrawal and the uprooting of settlements,” he said.“First of all, it has to be clear that the Israeli government is not creating a terror state in the heart of the country,” Dagan said.“Second,” he added, “all the communities in Judea and Samaria have to be of one piece [contiguous], so that there isn’t a Class A and a Class B – so that there aren’t those [communities] in blocs and those that are isolated. That would be an immediate security threat to thousands of citizens."Not everyone has to agree on all the details of the plan, said Dagan – adding, however, that “I am not willing to give up on even one centimeter.”He continued: “We can’t arrive at scenario that would prevent the achievement of arriving at one million residents here [in Judea and Samaria] – and there is no way we will accept a situation of isolated settlements."Last week, he was among a group of seven settler leaders who met personally with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express the same objections. Afterwards, the prime minister met with Efrat Council head Oded Revivi who supports the Trump plan. He is backed by six other settler leaders. Netanyahu plans to meet again on Sunday with Revivi and a number of settler leaders.Hotovely visited Dagan in his office in the Barkan Industrial Park in Samaria, prior to Sunday's meeting of the government.
