Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Jan. 21 to apply Israeli sovereignty to every settlement in the West Bank.
Speaking to Likud activists in the Knesset, Netanyahu said, “We will apply Israeli law to all the settlements, as a whole: Gush Etzion, Ma’aleh Adumim, Ariel and all other communities without exception.”
Earlier in the day, Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz vowed to extend Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and work with the international community on the matter if he’s elected prime minister.
“Past governments that have discussed returning this land have made a grievous security and strategic mistake,” Gantz said during a visit to the Jordan Valley. “We see this land as an integral part of the State of Israel.”
He also called the Jordan Valley “Israel’s eastern protective wall.”
Netanyahu challenged Gantz on Twitter to support a measure in the Knesset applying sovereignty to the Jordan Valley. Gantz tweeted that Netanyahu could apply such sovereignty with Cabinet officials without approval from the Knesset.
Israel’s elections will be held on March 2.
