The Yesha Council issued a statement on Thursday rejecting a speech by United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said that “the occupation of the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] will have to end, and a Palestinian state will need to be established.”  “Yehuda and Shomron [Samaria] are not ‘occupied territories,’” the council responded, “but rather the historic homeland of the Jewish people.” 

The council pointed out that Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria had worsened the security situation.  “It’s already been proven that an independent Palestinian entity immediately becomes a base for terrorism,” they said.