Today’s horrific terror attack in Samaria, which claimed the lives of three innocent Jews and left several others wounded, is yet another tragic reminder that half-measures and misconceptions about security in Judea and Samaria exact an unbearable human cost. As blood stains the roads of our biblical heartland once again, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: the current system of divided control and security coordination in Judea and Samaria has failed, repeatedly anad catastrophically.
The terrorist who perpetrated today’s attack fled back to Nablus, a city under Palestinian Authority (PA) control, highlighting a pattern we’ve seen countless times before. Wherever the Palestinian Authority exercises control, terror finds sanctuary. The notion that the PA serves as a legitimate partner in maintaining security has been thoroughly discredited, not just by today’s attack, but by decades of experience.
As Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan noted in the aftermath of the attack, basic security measures like properly operated checkpoints might have prevented this tragedy. But the deeper issue isn’t just about checkpoints or security protocols – it’s about sovereignty and control. The current patchwork of jurisdictions, with its maze of Areas A, B, and C, creates the very security vacuums that terrorists exploit.
The parallels between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria have become increasingly stark. Both entities preside over educational systems that glorify violence against Jews. Both provide financial rewards to terrorists and their families. Both maintain security forces that, at best, turn a blind eye to terrorist activities and, at worst, actively participate in them. As the Yesha Council warned today, Iran is establishing itself in Judea and Samaria just as it did in Gaza through Hamas and in Lebanon through Hezbollah.
October 7th shattered many illusions about the viability of trading land for peace or pursuing a two-state solution. If there was ever any doubt, that black day demonstrated the existential threat posed by relinquishing control over any part of our biblical homeland. The brutal massacre of over 1,200 Jews showed us the price of wishful thinking about Palestinian governance.
This reality demands a fundamentally new approach, one that Israel365 Action is championing in the upcoming World Zionist Congress elections. Our platform recognizes that the entire Land of Israel is the eternal possession of the Jewish People – not just as a matter of security, but as our divine inheritance and historical right.
From the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to Jacob’s ladder in Bethel, from the Tabernacle in Shilo to Joshua’s altar at Mount Ebal, Judea and Samaria contain the very foundations of Jewish history and identity. These aren’t mere archaeological sites; they are the living testimony to our people’s deep roots in this land. The Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria aren’t obstacles to peace – they are the vital continuation of our national story.
Establishing full Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria isn’t just about security, though security would undoubtedly improve with clear, unified control. It’s about ending the moral and political ambiguity that has cost so many lives. It’s about asserting our rights and responsibilities as the indigenous people of this land. It’s about ensuring that places like Nablus can never again serve as safe havens for terrorists who murder Jews on our ancient roads.
Critics will say this position is extreme or unrealistic. But after October 7th, after countless attacks like today’s tragedy in Samaria, what’s truly unrealistic is clinging to failed paradigms that have repeatedly led to Jewish blood being spilled. The “Land for Peace” formula has brought neither land nor peace. The two-state solution, still pushed relentlessly by the international community, would only create more terrorist strongholds at our doorstep – a catastrophic outcome we must prevent at all costs.
As Israel365 Action advocates, we must transform the often negative global perception of Israel by standing proudly for our rights and our truth. Strength and clarity of purpose do not prevent peace – they enable it by establishing the basic security and stability that any genuine peace requires.
Today’s victims join a long list of Jews murdered because we haven’t fully embraced our right and responsibility to govern our entire homeland. Their blood, as Yossi Dagan said, cries out to us. We can honor their memory by ensuring their deaths weren’t in vain – by finally implementing the full sovereignty that will prevent future attacks and secure our future in our biblical heartland.
The upcoming World Zionist Congress elections provide an opportunity to translate this vision into action. By supporting Israel365 Action, we can work to end the discrimination against Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, direct resources to strengthening these communities, and educate Jews worldwide about our heritage in these places. The time for half-measures and failed formulas is over. The time for sovereignty is now.
Rabbi Tuly Weisz is the Founder of Israel365.
