Major General Avi Blot, Commander of the IDF’s Central Command, signed orders that will, after years of blatant Palestinian Authority violations of international law, see enforcement in the nature reserve located in Eastern Gush Etzion.
Following the historic decision taken by the Cabinet on 28 June 2024 to reinstate Israeli responsibility for protection of the Wye Accords Nature Reserve, tonight (Thursday) orders were signed that will enable the IDF to begin turning back the tide of illegal construction and development that has been decimating the environment and threatening the security of Jewish communities in a strategically crucial area.
Regavim applauds this important step toward restoring sanity, and we congratulate the determined parliamentarians and citizens whose untiring efforts are bringing Zionism back to its proper place in Israel’s public policy:.
MK Yuli Edelstein, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and co-Chairman of the Land of Israel Caucus: “For years, we have monitored the Palestinian Authority’s systematic abuse of the Wye Accords-designated nature reserve. The State of Israel has turned a blind eye to the danger for far too long, and we can no longer continue to do so. I am pleased that as a result of our intensive efforts and engagement with all the relevant actors, orders have been issued that will restore law and order to the nature reserve. At issue are the physical boundaries of the State of Israel, and after launching a battle of containment, we have now switched gears to a campaign that will include significant enforcement of international treaties and push back against the de facto annexation that has been going on in plain sight in nature reserve.”
Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim: “The members of the Security cabinet, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Land of Israel Caucus, together with municipal leaders of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and the residents of this embattled region have shown us that true leadership is not a thing of the past. Tonight we have seen that perseverance can change policy and create a new reality.”
“The orders are an important step forward,” added Deutsch, “but we will continue to fight to ensure that they’re only the first step. We hope this is the dawn of a new era of Israeli commitment to protecting our national resources and restoring our sovereignty throughout the Land of Israel.”
