Reports are saying that Israel agreed, in the conference at Sharm A Sheikh, to a 4 month construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, along with a 6 month freeze from approving new communities.

The news has reported that the USA, during the visit of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken last week to Israel, requested of Israel to freeze construction in Judea and Samaria, aka the West Bank, for several months.

Journalists are saying that part of what is behind Bennett's decision to move to new elections is a meeting he had last week with legal counsel regarding the Judea and Samaria law. It seems he went to the Attorney General's office to meet with the legal team to see if there is any way to avoid chaos if the Judea and Samaria law doesnt get passed. He was told in no uncertain terms there is no way around it and the situation will be legal chaos in the areas of Judea and Samaria. The report says that Bennett decided he didnt want that to happen and this is largely because of that. To remind you, the government collapse makes the law automatically renew itself without a vote.

I know this is almost definitely not going to happen and some compromise will be worked out at the last minute, but if the members of the current government coalition were not risk averse I would suggest they take a big risk and do the following...

Renewing the law for Judea and Samaria [Jewish] residents to be treated as equal citizens for another five years is supposed to happen, but in this crazy coalition we have no idea if it will or wont. And the Opposition should be supporting the bill, as it is a consensus bill and they have supported it int he past and bills like these are generally supported by the Opposition, but they are making sounds of not supporting it so they can try to collapse the government. 

Our government is working very hard to improve the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza. Just earlier today, my cabinet approved 20,000 workers from Gaza to be able to work in Israel. We are going to be investing almost 40 million shekels in improving the crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip to allow smooth and dignified movement between Gaza and Israel. We can’t solve everything, we can improve the lives of people on the ground.

According to the news reports, PM Netanyahu gave instructions to allow, and advance, the construction of 800 new homes in Judea and Samaria.

Reuters is reporting that the Bahrainian Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani announced today it would not distinguish imports from Israel between products made from settlements in occupied territories and those made within the Israel (ie within the green line).

I always love me a good debate!

According to Reuters, Airbnb today announced that it will remove any listings of home on their system that are located in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Do with that information as you wish. 

The "West Bank" and "Occupied Territories", also known as Judea and Samaria are ruled by military law. The lives of the residents out there are not administered by the State, as is my life in Bet Shemesh or my friends lives in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa, Bnei Braq and Petach Tikva (or Tiqwa).

What's the difference? I am not really sure. I think for most Jewish Israelis, there is no practical difference. According to Wikipedia the "Israeli colonists are subject to civil courts" and this military law is only for the Palestinians living in those areas. I am not sure what that really means, but technically Israeli law does not apply out there.

A number of MKs, ranging from the Likud, Habayit Hayehudi, Shas, and UTJ have proposed a law that will change that, if it is voted in.

The proposed law states that any new law legislated by the Knesset will have to be signed on, within 45 days, by the Central Command General and immediately take effect in Judea and Samaria.

According to the article on Kooker, the residents of Judea and Samaria are negatively affected by this, often in regards to financial laws and employment laws that are meant to protect employees, as well as laws meant to protect the environment.

This law would rectify that situation and apply Israeli law out in the Wild West [Bank] as well, without affecting in any way the international legalities of the region that Israel has agreed to..

ok. I wonder, once that happens, will the Israeli law also apply to the Palestinians living in those areas? Will they still be subject to military law? I am thinking of issues like minimum wage, pension funds for employees, etc. The article does not say if the law would apply only to Jews and citizens or also Palestinians.

Important Message for Israeli parents and teenagers who live in or visit Yehuda vShomron -- 1208 Emergency Response Number.

Residents of Yehuda and Shomron all know their local "moked" emergency phone number. Every region has one: Kiryat Arba, Gush Etzion, Binyanim, Shomron, Karnei Shomron, Kedumim, Ariel, etc.
These mokdim are very responsive and are an effective central dispatcher for all emergencies; security, police, fire, medical, etc. -- please save in your cell phone the number 1208 which automatically connects to the CLOSEST moked based on your cell location.

This number works throughout all of Yehuda vShomron -- so you don't need to know all the different local moked phone numbers.

Save this number: 1208 -- it works. Save it in your kids phones on speed dial as well.

In the past, whenever there was discussion of the possibility of peace negotiations leading to a withdrawal of Israeli presence from territory to be given over to Palestinians, Haredi leaders would justify the Haredi presence in such territories as being different than the style of the presence of the general settler community.

While the settler community is largely found in towns and villages throughout Judea and Samaria out of ideology, the haredi towns and villages are there not out of ideology but due to the low cost of housing. They would then use this justification with both the government and the Palestinian leadership to try to ensure that Haredi areas would not be included in any withdrawal.

All that is changing now. The haredim are so upset with the Habayit Hayehudi people, for their involvement in the shivyon bnetel law which will presumably bring about the drafting of yeshiva bochurim, that they are willing now to even give up their own houses in order to promote the idea of an evacuation of the Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria.

"Hundreds" of residents of Haredi towns such as Beitar Ilit and Modiin Ilit have drafted a letter and sent it to the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in which they voluntarily offer to be evacuated in the event of a peace agreement. They explicitly say in the letter that they offer this support for a deal and would voluntarily evacuate because of the "decrees" and the criminal sanctions imposed upon them.
source: Kooker and Kikar

While they think they are taking out revenge on Habayit Hayehudi, they somehow do not realize that Habayit Hayehudi does not own the country - their offer is to give up Eretz Yisrael because they are upset at one group of people. If this was their ideology, peace at all costs, that would be consistent and fine. However, because it is not their ideology, it is just spiteful stupidity.

this old, grainy, video, from over 30 years ago, was once used as PR by the IDF to explain why Israel must hold on to Judea and Samaria, from a military perspective...
source: INN

What started out, by the Partition Plan, as a Two-State Solution, eventually became a One-State Solution. Peace negotiations has most, or at least many, Israelis at a consensus for a Two State Solution. In reality, even with a Two State Solution, if it should ever happen, it would really be a Three-State Solution, because Gaza and the West Bank authorities are not working together and do not get along, and would most likely remain separate entities. It might even become a Four-State Solution.

Baruch Marzel is proposing the establishment of a new state called Judea. To me this sounds like going back to the days of Herod and earlier.

Marzel said that in the event of a peace deal in which land is given to the Palestinians, the stetlers should have the option of remaining in their homes. However, theywould not agree to remaining under the authority of a terror state, and would instead establish their own state. the plans have already been drawn up, after much work and investment, and they would establish a new State, called Judea, between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine.


Another thought - a lot of people accuse US President Barak Obama of hating Israel and working against it. The thing is, when thinking about it, that it seems Obama is really right in line with what many Israelis want, and what PM Netanyahyu keeps saying he wants -a Two-State Solution (see above for the actual number).

It is really the Palestinians who seem to reject every offer and it is the Palestinians who want a One-State Solution.

That being the case, it would seem that Obama really hates the Palestinians, not the Israelis.