...and in with the new

I have great respect for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Without a doubt, he has one of the toughest jobs on the planet. I admire his past bravery, and as a Jew in the Diaspora and child of Holocaust survivors, I am forever grateful for all Jews who live in Israel and fight for our right to live in security in our Jewish homeland.

However, I respectfully urge the prime minister to act now. For eight years, he was rightfully wary of any repercussions from unilateral moves to annex Judea and Samaria or any parts therein. Obviously, because of the disdainful Obama administration, he might have been correct in his predisposition to walk very carefully.

But Obama is now gone. In his place we have a friend – a friend to the Jews and a friend to Israel. So if ever the time was right to formally annex Judea and Samaria, it is now.

Although US President Donald Trump is our friend, he certainly is not going to initiate any action to do this. It’s up to Prime Minister Netanyahu. I think he will gain the respect of President Trump and others if he forges ahead.

Legally, the Jews hold the most solid land deed in history, beginning with the Mandate for Palestine and ending with the rules of conquered lands in a defensive war. And if you believe in the Bible, we have thousands of years of history to back up our claim.

I’m not for one second saying that this is going to be easy or that we won’t face violence from our enemies But if he doesn’t go through with this, the prime minister will be missing a golden opportunity, a chance of a lifetime to do the right thing and make Israel great again (sorry for stealing Trump’s line). He will simply be kicking this can down the road for the next generation to deal with. LEON KUSHNER Toronto