At Channel 14’s Sovereignty Conference on Wednesday, Yisrael Ganz—head of the Yesha Council and Governor of the Binyamin Regional Council—laid out the case for full Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, calling it a security imperative to prevent Iranian control at the country’s core.
Ganz argued that the events of October 7 proved there’s no room for half-measures and that territorial control is the only way to guarantee the state’s survival. He dismissed proposals for partial sovereignty as inadequate to address the real threat. “The goal of sovereignty is to say that the State of Israel controls all of the Land of Israel and prevents an Iranian enemy from being here,” Ganz said. “Anyone who doesn’t apply sovereignty allows a terror state to rise in Israel’s heart and endangers our existence. The question is simple: Who will sit above Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, and Modi’in—Jews or terrorists?”
Ganz also addressed the Trump administration in Washington and claims that it’s blocking the move. He said the responsibility and authority rest in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Netanyahu. While acknowledging the existential challenges on the Iran and Hezbollah fronts, he stressed that the prime minister’s duty is to explain to the American administration that sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is an existential necessity. “If we don’t do this, Iran will be here. One October 7 was enough for us.”
During the interview, Ganz detailed the unprecedented scale of construction in Judea and Samaria under the current government. He noted that in the past two years, some 15,000 housing units have been approved, hundreds of farms established, and water, electricity, and road infrastructure installed with heavy investment. “When I see this, the word that comes to mind is salvation,” Ganz shared in a personal tone, using the Hebrew word ‘geula,’ which also means “redemption,” and “the ingathering of exiles.”
To reach the goal of one million residents in Judea and Samaria, he said, the system is changing its approach. “If in the past they approved 50 or 100 housing units per community, today we’re advancing plans for 1,000 and 2,000 units at once. The next stage is working with the Israel Land Authority on building masses that will change the map.”
Ganz pointed to what he called a distortion that must change: the fact that Judea and Samaria is still not officially part of Israel’s planning administration. “When the State of Israel plans infrastructure, environmental quality, or roads, Judea and Samaria must be integrated into the national system.”
