A recent study by Ariel University showing decreasing support for the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria (Shomron) should be a wake-up call, says Noam Arnon, one of the leaders of Hevron’s Jewish community.
Most Israelis still support Judea and Samaria, he said. But the trend indicated by the survey shows a need for a serious response.
The new media of today’s generation has had a deep impact on society, Arnon told Arutz Sheva’s Yoni Kempinski. The Yesha Council and other Judea and Samaria leaders must learn to “speak the new speak, the new media,” he said.
Every week, Arnon takes hundreds of people to tour Hevron. The personal encounter with Jewish history is “very, very effective” he reported.
Arnon suggested ways that the Yesha Council could help Israelis forge a similar connection with other parts of the land.
He also explained why the public’s theoretical willingness to give up Judea and Samaria for peace is dangerous, even when most Israelis believe there is no peace partner.