New Yesha head pledges to work to apply sovereignty over West Bank

Jordan Valley Regional Council head David Elhayani promised to work to apply Israelis sovereignty over his region and all of Area C of the West Bank upon learning Monday that he been chosen as the new head of the Yesha Council.

“The residents of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley are [Israeli] citizens in every way,” Elhayani said upon hearing that he had received the support of the Yesha Council to be its leader. “We will work together, all of us, to apply sovereignty over all of Area C and the Jordan Valley in Judea and Samaria.”

Elhayani also took the opportunity to call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White Party head Benny Gantz to form a unity government.

Elhayani was chosen to head the political arm of the settlement movement effective Monday, at a critical time in the sovereignty battle. Netanyahu has promised that if he heads the next government, one of its first steps will be to annex the Jordan Valley.

Yamina Party head MK Ayelet Shaked filed a Knesset bill this week to annex the Jordan Valley, Ma’aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion.

Netanyahu called Elhayani to congratulate him, and promised to work with him to strengthen the communities in Judea and Samaria.

The heads of the Sovereignty Movement, Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katzover, said Elhayani has been a “faithful partner” and a leader in the sovereignty battle.

Elhayani, 59, has served for 11 years as the Jordan Valley Regional Council head and has been a resident of the Argaman settlement in that region since 1983. He is a father of three and a grandfather of five.

Outgoing Yesha head, Hananel Durani, who held the position for two years, promised to help him in any way possible, adding that he was certain that Elhayani would be successful in the pursuit of sovereignty and in more than doubling the size of the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria so that it reaches one million Jews.