Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu visited Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria recently as part of his primaries campaign. Netanyahu expressed support of Jewish families in the area, saying that Israel must maintain a presence in all of Judea and Samaria in order to prevent the area from falling to Hamas. He praised local farmers for being “true capitalists” as well.
During his visit Netanyahu planted a tree in the town of Kida, near Shilo. The symbolic act was seen by many as significant because the town has not yet received government approval.
Despite his support, Netanyahu did not promise to keep the areas under Israeli control, saying only that he would try to keep “the maximum possible area” in any deals with the Palestinian Authority. He spoke in favor of the Jewish community in Hevron in particular, saying it should be given full support.