Yoav Gallant dismisses Palestinian state, calls to annex West Bank
Israel must apply sovereignty to Area C of the West Bank, Aliyah and Integration Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday during a campaign stop in the Binyamin region of the West Bank.
He also dismissed the possibility of creating a Palestinian state in the West Bank.
“I am clearly saying no to a Palestinian state. It is not possible to have more than one state west of the Jordan River,” Gallant said.
“This is the place of the Jewish, Zionist and democratic state of Israel,” whose existence is based on the strength of the biblical forefathers, he said.
“We will work to apply sovereignty in all of Judea and Samaria and to strengthen the settlements,” Gallant said, adding that, “settlements are the only key to holding onto sovereignty and Zionism.”
“Settlements are the new Zionism of the 21st Century,” Gallant said.
These communities also play an important role in providing public safety, he said, adding that they “are the eastern security belt for the State of Israel.”
He also warned terrorists against future attacks, explaining that anyone who tries to harm the state or its people is risking their life.
“We will get every terrorist. They will end their life in prison or in the cemetery,” he said.
Gallant, who left the Kulanu Party to join the Likud, had been the Housing and Construction Minister and was known for his strong support of the settlements, including advancing the building project in Efrat on the Givat HaEitam hilltop.
On Sunday, he braved the wet weather and the cold winds to reach the settlements of Beit Aryeh, Neve Tzuf, Eli and Shiloh. His statements there place him to the right of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who does not support the application of sovereignty at this time, or at any time during his last eight years as prime minister.